The Light One
by AnadoraBlack
Summary: [Spoilers for "Operation Mongoose"] [Full summary inside] The Charmings, Hook and Regina are on a mission to set things right. But in the apparent chaos appears a strange girl, and she looks painfully familiar... CaptainSwan, OutlawQueen, and Snowing. With loads of RegalBeliever feels. (Also, there's an OC inside. As if you hadn't guessed...)
1. Dis-appearances

**_Full summary:_** _Emma is the Dark One now, and her family, plus Regina, Robin and of course Killian, will stop at nothing to get her back. But in this time where hope seems to be in short supply, a foreigner appears, and she looks painfully familiar..._

* * *

 _A/N: Hello everyone! Yes, well...I now there is going to be quite a number of fanfics after that finale, but the muse could not let me be...so here is my contribution. I hope you'll like the twist I have on this. It's completely nuts, but I like it._

 _(Can you believe that this is the sixth fanfic I have ongoing? I'm totally bonkers...)_

* * *

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ **_I do not own Once upon a time nor any of its characters. I only own the plot in this story as well as a major OC._**

* * *

 _ **The Light One**_

* * *

 **1\. Dis-appearances**

* * *

 _ **Killian**_

* * *

 _Gone._ She was gone. Emma was gone.

All he could do was stare at the place she had just been and that was now empty safe for the blasted dagger. This dagger. _The_ dagger...he wanted nothing more than to destroy the thing forever.

In a moment of weakness, he found himself fall to his knees, the edge of his hook cutting in the fabric of his jeans as he squeezed his eyes shut. Time stood still. He could not see or hear the shuffling of the Charmings behind him, although he could guess they were as broken as he was, nor could he see or hear the quiet curses of the Queen and her archer.

The only thing he could see or hear was Emma. Emma and the words she had uttered before running from him and cursing herself. _I love you_ , she had said. Those dooming three words he had wanted to hear ever since he had gained her heart, not long prior. Not long at all. They had had so little time to really get to know each other.

And yet he knew that all his being and all his soul was hers. Now and forever.

So, when Killian Jones opened his eyes again, there wasn't an ounce of weakness in his blue eyes. Instead, there was pain, yes, but mostly determination. He stood, stumbling a bit on his two feet, and strolled to where the dagger lay. When he could make out the two words that doomed his beloved – Emma Swan...the new Dark One – a growl escaped his lips and he pocketed the offending object before it could do even more evil.

When he turned around, he realised David was staring at him, Snow White sheltered against him, her shoulders shaking as she sobbed.

Then Regina walked to him, her face too set in a look of determination. She looked deep into his eyes and for perhaps the first time since they had met, he felt like they understood each other completely.

She nodded once, and he nodded back. When he spoke, his voice was hoarse but strong. "You need to take care of the lad."

"I will. Keep _that_ safe."

"I will."

She outstretched a hand behind her and the archer joined her, linking their fingers as they hurried off the street.

When David looked at him again, the four words that escaped his lips sounded like eternal truth. "We will find her."

* * *

 _ **Regina**_

* * *

She felt as if history was repeating itself. Although the previous time, she had been the one ripped from Henry's side, and not Emma.

Her lips set in a hard line and Robin squeezed her fingers.

"Regina." She looked at him, and he tried a small comforting smile, one of those only he could produce. "You will find the words."

"I hope so... He's just saved us from a doom worse than death...and here it goes again."

"Henry is a strong lad. If anything, this whole ordeal made it clear. He'll understand."

She nodded absent-mindedly as the form of the Town Hall appeared before her. A lump formed in her throat but she swallowed it, letting go of Robin as she stepped inside.

He would wait for her. She knew that with utter certainty.

* * *

Henry was where she had left him, in her office. Unbeknownst to her, he had already received the visit of another, but that hardly mattered anymore.

He was deep in reading his book, as if nothing had changed at all. Although, when he heard her stop at the door, he closed it and turned to look at her.

How wise he was, and how well he knew her. When his grey eyes fell on her, he stood and strode to her, his brow furrowed. "Mom! What's wrong?"

Regina tried a smile and put her hand on his cheek. "Henry, my Henry..."

"Something happened." he said. He seemed resolved, as if pain would instantly turn to determination. It seemed to be the universal feeling, that evening... "Is it Mom?"

Regina would never know how he had guessed. Was it because he was the Author now? Or was it because he had lived through so much that he was used to his family being torn apart?

She nodded. "Emma...she sacrificed herself."

Henry's eyes filled with tears but instead of shedding them, he gritted his teeth. "Is she dead?"

Regina felt her heart break at the strength he was able to muster. She shook her head and pulled him towards the couch. It was time for the truth. "The Apprentice sucked all the darkness from Rumpel's heart and sent it into the hat. But it couldn't stay trapped. It went out and began to feed on Storybrooke's own darkness. It had to be stopped. To be tied to one person." She paused, reliving the feeling of it surrounding her and trying to claim her for its own. "It tried on me."

Henry looked at her intently, then his smaller hand took hers. "So Emma did it."

"Yes." Regina let the words sink in, as incredible as they were, then she added "She is the Dark One now."

Henry froze, his grey eyes staring into nothing, or more like towards the table they had just left. He seemed on the edge, ready to pounce on something.

It was Regina's turn to squeezed his hand. "What is it?"

When he turned to her, his eyes were full of anger. Although, as she'd soon discover, it was anger towards himself. "I broke it. The quill. I destroyed it. I can never set things right."

Regina gasped and then, seeing as he was about to break down, she encompassed him in a hug. And, choosing Snow's favourite weapon, she breathed words of hope in his ears. "We'll find a way, Henry, I promise."

* * *

 _ **The stranger**_

* * *

When they all woke up, she was in the park, sitting on a bench and staring into the pond, trying to calm her raging mind. Two people appeared not far, and she made sure they thought she, too, had just been sucked out of the most horrible book ever written.

If only they knew...

When they all woke up, she closed her eyes and caught a glimpse of something happening nearby, of another person waking up. Her creator. Her mother, so to speak. She was getting up from the hard ground and checking on her son before running off to check on yet another loved one.

She opened her eyes again, and anyone looking at her would have seen how they had turned green for a split second, before she stood and decided to mirror the couple's antics and head back into town.

She had had time to visit it, while trapped alone. Of course, she had another's memories and could recognize everything, but it wasn't the same as seeing it with your own eyes. She had strolled through the empty diner, visited one particular room upstairs, then headed to the pawn broker's shop, touching several items before deciding it was better if she was far away when all of this stopped.

She could remember passing next to a clothes shop, and glanced down at her own attire. Yes, if anyone paid attention to her at all, they'd see. See that she obviously was not from Storybrooke. Her riding leather breeches could perhaps pass unnoticed, but the leather jacket over her beige shirt, and more than anything, the empty scabbard at her side, those were totally conspicuous.

She was standing in front of the shop's window now, eyeing a pair of jeans. She knew what they were and how they felt on your skin...and yet had never worn any. She raised her hand, in which rested a heavy stone, and when she threw it, the window shattered in tiny pieces, allowing her to step in.

What she not taken into consideration was the noise.

So, as she was putting on the pair of jeans, a red sweat-shirt resting next to her, she could not guess that a figure had stepped inside as well, lured in by the sound of her petty robbery.

"I would advise you to stop, Madam."

* * *

 _A/N: So...short chapter, I know, but I wanted to get your pretty little brains going in-between revelations. ;) Who is the stranger? And who catches her in the shop? Dun dun dunnn! See you later, folks!_


	2. Her

_A/N: Hello again! I wanted to thank each person that has ALREADY put alerts and/or favorites on this after only one little chapter, as well as all those who have reviewed. Especially my freakmates, you'll know who you are, both of you. 3 Plus, Dee, I hate you. You've already guessed one HUGE part of the plot first try. Get out of my head! :P_

 _Without further ado, here is the second chapter. ;)_

* * *

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ **_I do not own Once upon a time nor any of its characters. I only own the plot in this story as well as a major OC._**

* * *

 **2\. Her**

* * *

 _ **The stranger**_

* * *

 _"I would advise you to stop, Madam."_

She froze, her hand over the garment she was about to pull over her head.

She should not have recognized that voice, because she had never met the man, but she knew who it was all the same. Robin Hood. Regina's lover.

Her eyes raised and met with his dark figure as he stood in front of the smashed window. "I cannot possibly go out undressed, _Sir_."

She could see her tone had surprised him, and then a flourish of hand told her he'd let her finish dressing. When she had grabbed a black leather jacket to put over the ensemble, she stepped into the street lights, and met with her...her what exactly? Jailor? No, he had not taken her prisoner – yet. Guide? Certainly not. Well, she did not need words anyway.

They got out of the shop, and she saw that three citizens had stopped, arms crossed as if they were afraid something worse than the Darkness had come for...their clothes. The archer lifted a hand in peace-making, said a simple "I'll handle this", and they went their own way.

When he turned to her again, she saw Robin Hood's stormy eyes widen. She did not know why, but she would not have to wait long. His eyes raked over her face, and then he asked "Who are you?" in a faint voice that meant something more than the sole question.

"I don't really think this is the place to talk about this, archer. Let's gather your...gang...first."

Again his brow raised at her choice of words, as if he was hitting some sort of recognition. Then he nodded and gestured towards one end of the street. "Then let's go."

She began to walk, he following her and studying her from behind, she realised. When she understood where he was taking her, she stopped. "Aren't you taking me to Regina?"

The archer moved in front of her again, and he was definitely puzzled. When he shook his head, it was once more with a look on his face that demanded questions to be answered. "I am taking you to the Charmings."

At that she nodded. Not really in assent, because she did not want to be brought to them either way, but in quiet agreement. They were better than the mob at Granny's, at least.

Well...so her shared memories tended to tell her.

* * *

 _ **Robin**_

* * *

He was completely at a loss at what had just occurred. One minute he was heading home to Roland after dropping Regina and Henry at the mansion, and the second he was standing in front of a smashed-in shop window as a lone figure entered the empty place.

Some would have called it fate. Him...not so much.

But as soon as the stranger – a woman, and young at that – had stepped out and into the light, he could not shake the sense of familiarity that came with her features.

She could not have been older than twenty or twenty-one, he decided. But then, her youthful face was not in accordance with her eyes, which displayed too much wisdom and experience to be those of a wee lass.

It was those eyes that made him click at first. Their blue was clear, almost as the sky in summer, but closer to...the ocean. And her dark hair, short and spiky, well...that added to the feeling.

And then there was the way she spoke. He decided it was natural, for she didn't sound as if she was forcing a trait or anything. But that too was too weird not to be addressed.

So he decided to bring her to the Charmings. If his instinct was right – and it often was – they would be able to explain her sudden appearance. If he was wrong, then David would be the best person around to handle her. Whether it meant putting her in a cell next to Isaac or not.

Just before they turned the corner of the street the loft rested in, he hit the 'send' button of his phone. Regina would know where he was, and that he needed her, and Henry, at the loft as soon as they were able.

But, if he was being totally honest, he had to admit that what would happen later that night would be the most bizarre thing he had ever seen in his entire life.

* * *

 _ **The stranger**_

* * *

It was so strange, entering a place you're sure you've never been in and yet recognizing everything, knowing where every object lay and where your favourite spots laid as well.

It was stranger even to step into the room and see the stunned faces of those you had begun to think about as family – although that too was not entirely correct.

When she stepped into the Charmings' loft, and Snow White and her husband turned to face her, she felt all of that surprise, confusion, and somehow pain as they crossed each of their faces. But why? She did not understand.

David was the first to recover, of course, as he turned to Robin. "Who is this?"

She could not see the archer but could guess he had shrugged. "I dunno. She was shop-lifting when I caught her. Those clothes," he added, as if wishing to calm the sheriff's mind. She had not stolen anything of value...well...ish.

Snow then took a tentative step towards her, then two, before she stopped. Her eyes were red and puffy, with good reason – she had just lost her daughter to darkness, after all – but wide as they studied her. They danced over each feature of _her_ face before resting on her eyes.

"What's your name?"

She took a deep breath, glancing at the prince before looking back at the person opposite her. "I... It's a long and complicated story, Milady."

And again, that flash of recognition. What did it mean, all of that?

Robin then cleared his throat. "I've called Regina and Henry. Figured they needed to meet this young lady too."

"You did well," said Snow, her eyes still glued to _her_. Then a smile formed on her lips and she gestured towards the kitchen. "Tea?"

To her credit, she was quick to recover from this sudden change of tone. She shook her head. "Something stronger, though, if you don't mind..."

David's eyes widened but he didn't say anything. Robin came to sit on a bar stool, and she followed the archer, perching herself on the other. She knew those things were not comfortable at all, but damn it. She didn't have to show how peculiar she was just yet.

Minutes stretched, silence filling the room as Snow absent-mindedly sipped on her tea, her husband staring at her as if he was expecting her to pounce on them any minute. Robin, on the other hand, seemed quite content.

When, at last, Regina and Henry arrived, this was when this whole evening became much more entertaining.

* * *

 _ **Henry**_

* * *

"I still don't see why Robin wants us to meet this strange girl he met..." Henry was groaning. His day had been trying enough not to put a foreigner on top of it. All he wanted was to crawl in bed with his quill and try to mend it. To bring his Mom back.

Regina put a hand on his shoulder as they walked. "If he did, it must be important."

He groaned back and shoved his hands in his pockets as they reached his grand-parents' home. Climbing the stairs was painful as he remembered Emma's smile and laugh in the living-room as they shared in stories and/or video games.

He already missed her.

But he'd find a way. His Mom had said so. And he knew her words to be true.

So pain and nostalgia embed his very being as they knocked on the door and got in. This all changed when they entered, though...

His eyes didn't meet the stranger's right then. He took his time to take in the scene at first: his grand-parents close to each other as if shielded one another from danger; Robin casually sitting on a stool his back tense as if he, too, was ready to defend himself; and then her.

She had her back to him at first, and the first thing that came to mind was that she dressed like his Mom. Although in reverse: red sweat-shirt; black leather jacket. When she turned around, he had a whole other thought.

Thought that spilled out of his mouth before he had time to process it.

"Why does she look like Hook?!"

* * *

 _ **Killian**_

* * *

 _Gone._ She was gone.

He took another gulp of rum out of his flask before sighing. She wouldn't come back in the morning. Not if he didn't do all he could to find and save her.

He was at the docks, of course, sitting on a bench as he stared at the emptiness of the sea, dark with night. It had always soothed him, that sight, but not that night.

No, that night, all he wanted was his Emma back.

And more than anything, to finally be able to tell her those three little words she had managed to croak out before storming out his embrace. _I love you._ How he longed to say them now he had heard them out of her mouth.

How stupid he had been not to catch her before she ran away. To tell her before she left.

Another swig of rum

Then his phone buzzed in his pocket. He took it out and eyed the screen. When he saw David's name appear, he shook his head, and threw the offending machine in the ocean.

He needed time alone.

* * *

 _ **The stranger**_

* * *

 _Henry._ How peculiar it was, to see him and to have this strong urge to take him in her arms and to hug him with all the strength she could muster... How weird it was, to feel so strongly about a child she had never met before...

His first words, when his grey eyes met hers, were not those she had expected. At all.

" _Why does she look like Hook?!_ "

She gasped, wondering if his words were right, if she truly looked like him rather than her, but then, she slid off the stool and walked to him. Trying a small smile, she said "Hey Henry!"

The younger boy's eyes widened, and the energy in the room thickened. Regina came to take a protective stance next to her son. "Who are you?"

She met the Queen's eyes. Dark as night, and yet filled with kindness. She knew she was not as bad as everyone thought. She was even quite the hero. "As I said before, it's complicated. But I think it's probably time to tell that story."

"Then do tell."

She had the urge to smirk at the woman's harsh tone, but tamed herself. "I...I..." her brow furrowed, as if she was concentrating on something and could not remember. "I...I would say I'm called Emma, but that's not right..."

Henry pushed away from his mother, grey eyes wide and storming with questions. "Why would you call yourself Emma?"

"Because I have her...memories...of you." Brow furrowed further, she sat on the first step if the stairs, in a perfect shadow of the woman she'd have taken the name of. "She created me."

Now all of them were surrounding her, safe for David who was tapping something on his phone. Snow, the first, addressed the matter. "She _created_ you?"

She nodded. "Yes...in a way, Emma Swan is my mother."

"You lost us completely here..." Regina launched, a sneer on her lips.

At that she smirked. "I would expect you to understand in the end. After all, you're not that stupid, _Your Majesty._ "

No, it wasn't right, the way they all looked at her.

Especially Henry.

"Excuse me, but...how can you be my Mom's...daughter...when you look so much like Captain Hook?"

She shrugged. "I have no idea."

" _I_ do..." said a weak voice at the door.

* * *

 _A/N: Who's the person at the door? Rumpel? Or someone else? Seconc cliffhanger! I love those... Also, if some small part has been revealed this chapter, the biggest part comes next. Can you foresee who "she" is in truth? :)_


	3. Creation

_A/N: Hello back readers! Again, I want to thank the alerts, favs and reviews I received after the first two chapters... Really, you guys are amazing._

 _This chapter, you are going to learn a bit more about that stranger and who she truly is, because if some of you called it right, her...well...creation (pun for the title) isn't what you think at-all._

 _Please review after reading so I know if you liked that twist or not. ;)_

* * *

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ **_I do not own Once upon a time nor any of its characters. I only own the plot in this story as well as a major OC._**

* * *

 **3\. Creation**

* * *

 _ **The stranger**_

* * *

" _I do..._ "

No one had realised the door to the loft had been pushed open until that voice filled the air. All eyes went to the two figures in the doorway, one leaning on the other for support as he entered the room.

"I thought..." started Snow, "I thought you were-"

"Dead?" answered the Apprentice. "Yes, I thought it too. But apparently, my time isn't over just yet." His eyes went to _her_ as she still sat on the stairs. "I know what you are, child."

She stood. "Who am I?"

Belle – because it was her, of course – helped the Apprentice further into the room and helped him to a chair before she leaned back, sighing in relief. Then the air filled with tension, before he started his tale.

"You are indeed a creation of Miss Swan. One I have never heard of before."

"How did she create her?" Snow asked as she, too, sat at the table, David's hands on her shoulders.

 _She_ strode closer, eyes enraptured by the man who would give her answers. Answers to the questions she still had no answer to. "She thought of me."

"Thought of you?" Regina said, her tone filled with mockery, though when she saw that _she_ was serious, the smirk faded. "How come?"

 _Her_ eyes went to the Queen's, then to Henry. "When Isaac wrote his book, he didn't write Emma in it, but he could not erase the Saviour once and for all. She was trapped in a tower instead. Her powers unable to get her out, her memories intact." She paused, and smiled to Henry. "But she knew one person could save her if he was there."

"Henry." Snow's voice was filled with certainty, and _she_ nodded.

"Yes, Henry. But Henry was not there. So she wished, wished to have her child in the Enchanted Forest – the child who could free her from the tower."

"And she created you?" Henry was still stunned as his other mother asked the questions.

The Apprentice answered. "You have to understand her powers were loose. She was throwing them about to try to free herself... Emma Swan wields such a power that only my master's rivals...she is the most powerful sorceress in all realms."

"Let me get this straight..." Regina began, pointing at _her_ , "Emma thought of her child, a child that could save her, and her powers moulded her wish into you?" _She_ nodded, and the Queen chuckled darkly. "How quaint."

"But..." _her_ eyes went to Snow, who had her brow furrowed, "you look like..."

"Yes," she answered, "I look like Hook. Although I did not know it before you said so, and I don't know why."

The Apprentice's laugh froze everyone on place. He was chuckling to himself but the sound was so foreign and almost rude at that moment that everything paused until he calmed down. "Aaaah, love..." He let the thought dawn on everyone, and then carried on. "Miss Swan was thinking of Henry, but also of someone else...all those, in fact, who could save her."

"Hook." David's voice was hard and he eyed his phone on the counter behind him once more.

"And you," the Apprentice added before his eyes went back to _her_. "That is why you are a female and not a male like Henry. Your...creator...thought of him, but also of Hook, hence the resemblance, and of her parents...hence your sex...and age."

 _She_ sat back down on the stairs and stared at her hands in wonder. "I am..."

"What some would call a love-child, yes..." he chuckled again, "although you were never 'born', technically speaking. You never inhabited Miss Swan's womb."

* * *

"This is totally bonkers," launched Robin from his stance at the door. His blue eyes were wide and he hadn't spoken for several minutes. But when he did again, it was to address the other surprising matter. "If _she_ was created in the other book, then she should have been erased the moment Henry saved us."

It was _her_ time to chuckle darkly. "Unfortunately for both you and me...I wasn't in the book when Henry saved you."

When she saw all the stunned faces in front of her, even the Apprentice's, she sighed and stood. She felt suddenly as if fate had befallen her shoulders. Knowing who she was with better surety was disturbing...considering she was not truly human.

"When Henry and Isaac entered the book, I was thrown out."

Silence.

And then..."Because you and Henry are basically the same person...or so Emma thought. You could be one and the other in the same book."

It was surprisingly Belle who had answered.

Silence fell again.

And when _she_ sighed once more, her eyes going through the window, her following words brought a cloud of sadness over the whole place. "I wished she was here to explain some things to me..."

No one moved except for one person, whose footsteps echoed loudly in the room before a small hand met _her_ shoulder. "You can help us save Mom."

She glanced down at Henry. "How?"

"You have her memories, you said," Regina answered. "Maybe you know where she has gone."

 _She_ shook her head. "Sometimes I can see in her mind, but I cannot see where she is yet. Although one thought keeps popping up. _Merlin._ "

Some exchanged a look, and then Snow raised a hand. "Stop..." all eyes went to her as she stood. "This young woman, and us all in fact, have lived quite the exhausting evening. I am saying we gather back here tomorrow to continue this conversation." Her green eyes met _her_ blue, and some understanding passed between the two. "You can stay here if you want."

 _She_ shook her head. "I cannot see myself sleep in her room. But thank you. I will move to Granny's, I think."

Henry nodded and took her arm. "We'll walk you, won't we Mom?"

Regina nodded absent-mindedly, her dark eyes still whirling with questions. Robin walked to her and took her hand, shaking her off her thoughts. "Yes, of course."

And so the group split up for the night.

* * *

 _ **Henry**_

* * *

This was probably the weirdest thing he had ever heard of.

As he walked down the stairs and into the street, with _her_ following, he could not help but feel as if things were clicking into place. When he looked at her, he felt as if he knew her from before, and now he knew why.

She was him...and Hook...and his Mom.

She was...his sister. No apter word had ever been used.

His Mom and Robin were behind them a few paces, talking animatedly on the sole topic that mattered, so he took _her_ hand and caught her attention.

"Hey, do you have a name?"

She shook her head, smiling at their entwined hands. He knew she felt some weird things too, being his...shadow? He really had to think of a better name. Sister was cool, but it also wasn't that true...

"Then I'll call you Selene."

" _Selene?_ " Her tongue tried the name, then she nodded. "I like it, but why call me like the Moon?"

Henry's brow raised. "Oh it wasn't because of that." He smiled. "You look like a girl named Selene in a movie called Underworld."

Her eyes unsettled, as if she was searching her – or Emma's – memories, and then her nose turned upright. "She hated that movie. Too much gore."

"Yes but Selene is really pretty." He blushed a little, but she squeezed his hand and smiled back.

"Yes, that she is, and I'm glad you think that of me. Selene it is."

* * *

 _ **Killian**_

* * *

His mind was calmed down. He could no more feel the raging burn of his anger as he strolled back into town.

Granted, he wasn't walking straight and was certain to wake with the worst hangover a pirate had ever known the following day, but at least he was at peace again, or as much at peace as someone with a broken-heart could be.

 _Gone... She was-_

No, he could not linger on that thought.

 _I'll find her._

That was better.

Storybrooke was awfully silent as he reached Granny's. The diner was empty, of course, so he circled the place to enter by the back-door, his fingers fumbling with the key before he could reach the lock.

* * *

The door opened before he had time to find the keyhole, and the Queen and Henry stepped out, soon followed by Robin Hood. All three pairs of eyes widened upon seeing him, and Regina and Robin walked away a bit, the archer clasping his shoulder in comfort as they left him with Emma's son.

 _Emma..._

 _I'll find her._

 _Yes, cling to that thought while you can._

Henry's eyes were wide as he caught in his appearance. Then he gestured inside. "I'll walk you upstairs, if you want."

Killian shook his head. "No, lad... No need..." He stumbled as he missed the step inside, and Henry rolled his eyes.

"Don't be stupid, Killian." The boy followed him as he climbed the stairs to the first floor, his hand gripping the rail to make sure he didn't fall to his death.

When they stopped in front of his door, Henry's eyes lit up dangerously. Killian was familiar with that light. In a perfect imitation of his mother, Henry was having an idea.

"Hey, Killian, I want you to meet someone."

"Now, lad? I'm not really in good shape," he answered, pointing at his body.

"Oh it will only be a minute." the lad answered, and then he was tugging on Killian's arm, pulling his limp form towards the other end of the corridor.

"Henry..." his voice was weak and hoarse, but he let him pull him wherever he wanted. He was too tired to fight anyway.

At last they stopped in front of a door, and the lad knocked twice. A small voice, feminine he noticed, rose from inside.

"Who is this?"

"It's Henry! I'm bringing you someone!"

The lock clicked, and the door opened slightly. Killian could not see the person, but guessed they could see him, for there was a small gasp of disagreement. "Henry, I don't think this is the best idea you've had..."

"Don't be stupid, it'll be good for both of you." He pushed opened the door and pulled Killian inside.

His gentleman ways, had they been awake, would have refused to step inside a lass' room, but Henry was stronger than him that night so he let him.

He barely had time to process his surroundings when his eyes fell on the girl and he damn right froze.

* * *

It was like looking in a mirror. A mirror that would have swapped your gender, but a mirror nonetheless... Her eyes were a carbon copy of his, as were her face features, and hair...

A black leather jacket had been discarded on the chair behind her and he realised she also dressed like him.

If he had met her in the Enchanted Forest, he'd have said she looked like a pirate.

Henry smiled knowingly and gestured towards the girl. "Killian, this is Selene." He paused, and the girl's eyes moved from the man in front of her to the lad beside her in what looked like a silent plea.

Plea he didn't hear.

"She's your daughter."


	4. The plan

_A/N: Hi there! Again, I want to thank all those who have put alerts on this, and those who have been kind enough to review._

 _I see many of you are confused about this whole plot of mine, and I hope you'll feel better about it as the story unfolds. Selene is more than she appears... ;)_

* * *

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ **_I do not own Once upon a time nor any of its characters. I only own the plot in this story as well as a major OC._**

* * *

 **4\. The plan**

* * *

 _ **Snow**_

* * *

"You haven't been sleeping..."

She felt David's arms wrap around her from behind and she leaned into his strength as she gazed through the window, a shawl carelessly wrapped around her. She shook her head almost imperceptibly. "I couldn't..."

And truly, how could she ever sleep with what had happened the night prior? Emma turning dark – her worst fear – and this girl appearing out of nowhere...it was too much to think of.

She had spent the remaining of the night watching Neal sleep and quietly crying. And when the sun had rose – merely two hours later – she watched the day unfold and Storybrooke come to life as if nothing had occurred at all...

"It's so unreal..."

Snow hummed. "What is?"

"Her... That girl."

She nodded. "Yes, it is unreal." And yet Emma's powers were truly that powerful. They had created a whole being. A young woman who reminded Snow so strongly of her daughter that it ached to even look at her. "I should prepare breakfast. They will here soon."

She untangled herself from her husband and let her hand in his for a second longer. He followed her retreat with an amused smile. "Snow, it's almost two in the afternoon..."

"So? We haven't eaten anything since yesterday evening..." She put the kettle under the tap and absent-mindedly made it spill. "Oops."

" _Snow..._ " this time it came quieter and strong hands took the kettle off of her hands and when she glanced up, she met those two blue eyes she loved so much. "We'll find her. This is what we do us Charmings. We find each other."

She smiled sadly. "I hoped we were done finding each other..."

He brought her into his arms again. "I promise that everything will be just fine once we find her..."

She hummed again, but tears were welling in her eyes and she knew she was going to cry.

* * *

 _ **Killian**_

* * *

"So..."

"Yeah..."

He huffed in amusement. She sounded soooo like Emma. And yet she also spoke like him. How it all was twisted.

They had spent the remaining of the night talking, he sobering up substantially after Henry had dropped the bomb. The lad had long since gone, leaving the two of them alone, and it had been a non-stop game of questions and answers on his part, while she was looking at him, studying him with a strange look in her eyes that he could not yet decipher.

"How do you want me to call you?" she blurted out suddenly. When he glanced down at her from where they sat on her bed, she was looking down as if unsure of her enquiry.

"Killian, I think... What would you call me else?"

She smirked and her eyes met his again. "Well, _Dad_ of course."

He made a disgusted noise. "I'm not drunk enough to hear that yet, thank you lass."

She chuckled.

They went on famously, the two of them. It was obvious, after she had explained her...creation...that she truly had been 'thought of' – how strange – thinking of him, because he felt as if they had known each other for decades instead of hours.

And, of course, there was the fact that she knew almost everything about him. Well, everything he had told Emma, but that meant a great deal already...

"I think we ought to get to Snow and Charming. They're expecting us." She stood and outstretched a hand for him to take. On his hook's side.

He raised a brow but she mirrored him in a silent challenge. So he carefully placed his hook in her hand and she tugged, helping him up. She kept the appendage in her grasp a moment longer as she ran her fingers along it.

When she let it go, there was a smile on her lips. "I'd love yo have one those..."

"Believe me, lass, you don't." he sighed and straightened his jacket.

She smirked again. Again the mirror feeling... "I believe I would, _Daddy dear_."

He growled. "Don't."

"I will. Whenever you refuse me something."

At that he let out a loud chuckle. She had spirit, he gave her that. He nodded towards the door, and she grabbed her leather jacket as they exited the room.

And Granny be damned when they crossed her path in the corridor and she silently judged him going out of another woman's room.

Storybrooke would know soon enough, and he didn't feel guilty at all, strangely enough.

But then again, no father would feel guilty accompanying his daughter out, would he?

Oh, how screwed he was...

* * *

 _ **Selene**_

* * *

She was watching him walk beside her in the street, a smile on her lips, but inside, her thoughts were raging.

The moment Henry had entered her hotel room with him, she had felt that complex swirl of feeling wave over her, almost choking her with their intensity. Emma's feelings, and also what she guessed were her own take on it, buried deep inside her.

Killian Jones was Emma's lover. The man she loved. She knew it, could feel that love fill each of her pores as she gazed at him, feeling so relieved it almost stopped her heart beating.

She had felt that incredible urge to embrace him and to kiss him senseless as she stood there, and had balled her hands into fists in her back to resist the urge. How would he have taken it? Badly, no doubt... Especially since Henry introduced her as 'his daughter'.

'His daughter'. Yes, she guess she was that. Technically speaking. There was a reason why she looked like a feminine copy of him.

But as the night unfolded and she answered his incessant questions – what was her name? where did she come from? how old was she? why did Henry introduce her as such? and so on – the certainty that she could still feel Emma's heart seep through her was even more present.

She _loved_ Killian Jones. And not the kind of love one would have expected from a daughter.

What a twisted side of Elektra's Complex...

When they reached the Charmings' loft, Selene knocked on the door, Hook placing a familiar hand on her back as they were invited in. It sent a shiver up her spine and she gritted her teeth, trying to get a grip of her own raging feelings.

David's eyes widened upon seeing who their first visitors were. "You two met?"

Hook nodded, scratching his ear in that habit of his when he was uncomfortable. "Henry introduced us last night. I...needed...to..."

"Be brought a little hope?" Selene provided as she greeted Snow who was preparing more tea. She familiarly popped a kiss on each of her cheeks and Snow froze as she did, before cracking a smile.

Killian sent her a glance, and David chuckled in amusement. "You like her."

"Well mate...she's mine, after all..."

Those words sent another totally inappropriate shiver up Selene's spine, and she chose to tease him rather than let it be seen. "Yes, I am, am I not _dear Daddy_?"

Snow and David burst into laugh at the look on Hook's face, and Selene discarded her jacket feeling rather content.

* * *

"So...do you have a name now?" Snow asked from where she was pouring generous amounts of tea into mugs.

Selene nodded with a smile. "Henry chose one last night. _Selene._ "

Snow made an agreeing face. "Nice. Well, Selene, will you take sugar?"

The young woman nodded and went to sit on the sofa, Neal's crib to her right. Without even thinking about it, she started cooing at the infant and rubbing his belly as if she had done that all her life.

Snow stared at the scene, her lips pursed, but when her son cooed back as if recognizing the person playing with him, she relaxed. Yes, Selene was almost like a member of the family. She felt like it, anyway. The baby was smiling boldly at her, and she tucked her finger into his tiny grip.

"You seem to get along."

She looked up into Snow's face as her hostess put her tea cup in front of her on the coffee table and smiled widely. "It seems we are. Maybe he senses Emma in me."

"Now, I don't think so. He likes you for you."

Selene's eyes fell onto the babe once more, her brow raised so high it almost disappeared in her dark hair. Could it be that Neal truly was liking her for herself and not for the part of his big sister that was residing in her?

It was something she felt incredibly torn about...

* * *

 _ **Henry**_

* * *

He hadn't had one once of sleep that night. And how could really, when every time he closed his eyes he saw Emma? Whether she was happy and embracing him when they would be – eventually – reunited, or she was snarling at him and shouting 'You broke the quill!', he could not sleep.

His Mom knew it, he was certain, for when she came to rouse him in the early afternoon, she sighed and placed a weary kiss on top of his head where he sat on his bed, already clothed for the day.

Robin had spent the night there, Roland being with the Merry Men after a long separation. Henry could have been bitter about the fact that his mother had had her happy ending at last when his other was ripped apart by darkness. But then he thought that he was being utterly childish, and that his anger should be directed at only one person: himself.

He had tried to put the quill back together, but had failed miserably. But then, the Apprentice had said that while the power would still reside in him for all his life, he could no longer alter reality. He had thrown his bag across the room after realising that he could not save his Mom.

But then Selene's face had entered his mind, and his brow furrowed in another purpose. She had barged into his life, his mother's creation, and was incarnating the hope all the Charmings had to ever finding Emma. And yet something felt off with her...

He didn't know what it was yet, but vouched he would.

"Henry! Hurry up, Snow is waiting for us!"

He sighed and stood from his bed.

Time for some plan-making.

* * *

"Hey Selene!"

She had been sitting on the sofa with Neal cooing happily in her lap when they arrived. The sight had made Regina's eyes narrow, but no one questioned the scene as Snow looked quite content with her son's new friend.

So Henry had walked to her and smiled in greeting, though the smile felt fake.

She looked up from the baby and smiled back. "Hello Henry!" She paused, probably seeing his tired demeanour, and the smile turned into a frown. "You did not rest." He shook his head without answering vocally. She sighed. "I'm sorry."

"Why should you be?"

"Well, if I hadn't been caught by Robin, you'd have not met me last night and you would have slept...maybe." She bit her lower lip in worry.

"Selene... My Mom is the Dark One. I could not sleep even if I wanted to." He caressed Neal's head and got silent, the young woman next to him eyeing him with wide eyes.

* * *

 _ **Selene**_

* * *

She was not his mother, she had to remember. Henry was her...brother. Yes, something like that. She should not question his lack of sleep with a tone that bordered on motherly. She had no right to do so.

When she placed Neal back into his crib after he had fallen dutifully asleep, she clasped a hand over Henry's and stood to join the gang. The Apprentice had just arrived, Belle in tow, both looking spent and burdened.

"Rumpel has not awoken yet..." Belle explained, and several heads nodded, although the great majority of those present did not care one bit about the former Dark One's well-being.

The sorcerer at her side seemed to feel better, for he strolled on his own to a chair, even if he let himself fall into it with a sigh of relief. Everyone gathered around him, and he did not waste any time in doodling when his eyes fell onto Selene. "You were saying last night that Emma Swan is thinking about Merlin."

She nodded. "She was when I last caught a glimpse of her. It was like an obsession."

Killian's brow raised. "What does it mean?"

"It means, Captain, that the Saviour/Dark One is most probably torn between her two sides and is trying to get rid of the Darkness by herself. By seeking my master."

Selene bit her lip. Something everyone would soon assimilate to her own version of 'ear-scratching'. "But...where is he? And could she cross realms without help?"

The Apprentice shrugged. "At this hour, we still don't know how far her powers extend. She was already extremely powerful before, hence your existence, young one. Who knows what the Dark One's powers have done to her?"

"But then," Snow started, a hand on Henry's shoulder, "how do we find her?"

"By finding the person she seeks first," said Regina, arms crossed, a determined look on her face. "Merlin."

The old man nodded. "Yes, I agree with the Queen." He paused. "Merlin is in Avalon."

"And where is Avalon?" asked Hook, visibly on edge.

"In the Enchanted Forest. It is an island, hidden in the middle of the Bottomless Sea. And it is heavily guarded."

The pirate's eyes narrowed. "I know this sea like the back of my one hand... I would have stumbled upon it."

"Except it is also protected by a shielding spell that makes ships pass through it without seeing it." The Apprentice shuffled in his pocket and got a small vial of sheer, vibrant green. "This potion, if poured over a ship's deck, would make you able to behold it."

"So we'd need to...travel by sea?" David asked, quite wearily someone might say.

Selene spoke up then, placing her hands on the table in front of her. "This wouldn't be the first time that you planned a rescue mission that involved the Jolly Roger." She launched a pointed gaze at Killian. "The sole catch is that none of us can produce a portal."

"I beg to differ," the pirate answered with a smirk. "It happens that when I gave back Ursula's happy ending, her dear father granted me a favour. I guess creating a portal isn't too difficult...for Poseidon."

Many heads nodded in approval. Selene shook her head in amusement.

The Apprentice kept his eyes firmly on her. "I must warn you though..." all eyes turned to him but he was staring at the young...creation facing him, "my master may not agree to help you. You must true of heart to seek his help, all of you. And maybe some are not that true."


	5. Leaving Storybrooke

_A/N: Hello back everyone! Thanks for all the feedback, especially from guests who seem to understand this story better than even I do. ;) You truly are the best readers in the world. Without further ado, here's the next chapter!_

* * *

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ **_I do not own Once upon a time nor any of its characters. I only own the plot in this story as well as a major OC._**

* * *

 **5\. Leaving Storybrooke**

* * *

 _ **Selene**_

* * *

Stepping onto the Jolly Roger's deck was a strange thing triggering some sort of disturbing déjà-vu feeling. She felt she knew the moorings, the captain's cabin, the bunk beds used by the crew and each length of rope by heart.

But it wasn't something that had come from Emma, she was sure of it. Emma had been on the Jolly before, but not long enough to learn it by heart. Besides, she was too keen on finding her son to really pay attention.

Her fingers played on the polished railing before a happy voice rose from the wheel. "Welcome aboard!"

Selene raised her eyes and was met with Killian's figure as he stood at the helm, hook in place and pirate outfit back. She smirked. "Thank you, Captain. Was this change in wardrobe necessary?"

He huffed. "I believe I'm not the only one who changed clothes, lass..." He gestured behind her and her blue eyes widened.

Snow White had put back her old riding clothes, the beige colour almost insulting the ship she walked onto. Charming too was back in princely attire, his beloved sword at his side, although she could see he had also taken his gun.

The princess caught her dumbfounded look and smile. "We thought it better to blend in if need be."

Selene could do nothing more than nod as Regina and Robin arrived hand in hand, the first mirroring the second in attire. The former Evil Queen had not put on one of her famously alluring dresses, instead choosing brown breeches and a dark green tunic with a dark brown corset. She looked like Robin's dream companion.

"If I get this right, I'm the only one who's not dressed for the occasion?" she raised a brow. Henry would not come, as he preferred to take care of Storybrooke and Neal in particular. He feared that some big baddie would arrive even as the Charmings were away, and Selene could not agree more, seeing this town's tendency to appeal to villains.

"I have some things in my cabin, if you want," Killian said as he got down from the helm. "Years and years of stealing so fine clothes, and I have a full closet." He smirked. He was content to be on his ship again.

Selene smiled back. "Then I trust I'll find something to my taste." She walked up to the helm and pulled back the plank concealing the ladder leading to the Captain's cabin.

Disappearing in its depths as the others discussed their plan.

* * *

 _ **Killian**_

* * *

It was refreshing, to be back on the Jolly after such a long time apart. It was quite paradoxical, when you thought about it: he had given it up to find Emma, and now he needed it to go after her once more.

It had been easy, stepping back in his old clothes, as if meeting with an old friend again. An old friend he needed to be cunning and efficient if he wanted to find his treasure, his Emma.

Once the lass had disappeared below deck to change, he turned to the prince and princess. "Do you have everything?"

"Yes," Snow answered. "Rumpel's globe is in my bag. But do you think Selene will agree to use it?"

"Yes, why don't you just summon Emma with the dagger? You still have it, don't you?" the Queen asked, arms crossed.

Killian's jaw jutted and he scratched his ear. "I sill have it, yes..." _I can't part from it._ "But I won't use it. Emma is not an animal waiting to be given orders. She is a person, and as such, I intend to give her as much freedom as I can."

"You do realise that, as the Dark One, giving her freedom will probably mean letting her kill and torture?"

Snow gasped and David growled. "Regina...it's our daughter you are talking about."

She shrugged. "So? You don't think she can harm anyone? I've known the Dark One far longer than anyone here, including Hook who had not seen him in ages when he was in Neverland. I think I know what he, or she now, is capable of."

David's eyes turned to Killian, who swallowed uneasily again. "We'll use the dagger only if we need to."

Snow silently agreed, and Robin placed a hand on Regina's shoulder to calm her down. She shrugged again and launched a cynical "I'll have warned you..." before she stepped towards a fallen chest and sat on it, her archer following.

* * *

"So, when do we depart?" Killian asked. "Poseidon is waiting at the edge of town."

David looked at his wife and then back at the pirate. "As soon as you're ready."

"Then let's go!" he trailed a hand on the railing. "This lass has not seen its true captain in far too long..." He moved to the helm and rolled it in a swift movement. "I would advise you to hold onto something."

And the Jolly Roger sprang to life once more, to once again dive into a swirling portal. Good old days...

* * *

 _ **Snow**_

* * *

It was like Neverland all over again. Standing on the ship's deck, gripping the rope as tightly as she could as wind whirled around her in a deafening crack and everything around her was water and darkness. Chasing after one of the most important people in her life, perhaps in vain.

Snow felt water drip down her chin, but whether it was her own tears or the sea water splashing in her face, she didn't know.

After what felt like a lifetime, they erupted in fresh and clean air, the ship bouncing onto the surface before settling down in a rippling wave.

Snow glanced around. They were in the Enchanted Forest. Near her castle. She could see its figure not that far away, birds circling it before diving back into the nearby forest. "We made it." She repeated the phrase over and over, before a smile crept onto her face and she turned to embrace David.

They were all in one piece. Regina and Robin were soaking wet, but unscathed, and Hook looked like he had had the best time of his life...again. He truly was one hell of a captain.

"What the bloody hell just happened?" came the angry voice of Selene.

She erupted from below deck, hair messed and looked like she did not stand right on her two feet, but soon her blue eyes settled on the new scenery and she just came out with "Oh".

Snow smiled at the look on the girl's face. It was as if she was coming home, and yet it also betrayed surprise and curiosity. A paradox that was easily understandable. She had Emma's memories of the place, but it was the first time she came. She decided to go stand by her, an arm familiarly whirling around Selene's shoulders. "What do you think?"

The girl looked back, a wide smile on her lips. "It's beautiful."

"Well, you're not so bad yourself, lass," answered Killian as he got from the helm. "I guess you found something to wear after all!" He gestured to her overall appearance, and Snow looked down to study her as well.

She had shed the leather jacket and skinny jeans, instead choosing knee-high black boots and a long fitting dark brown dress that fit her like a second skin, the look perfected by a leather corset fastened over the dress. A dagger was hanging at her belt as well as a cutlass.

"You...you look like-"

"A pirate." Killian's smile was one of pride, and Selene answered it, a glint of something unknown in her eyes as she thanked him.

"Yes, like a pirate. But it suits you." Snow smiled, although the gesture was shadowed by the sense that something was amiss here.

And what had the Apprentice said? Not all of them were true?

* * *

 _ **Selene**_

* * *

She had been thrown from one side to the room to the other, without warning, just as she was fastening the last lace on her boot. She thought about an earthquake, but that was completely stupid since they were on water, and then it had stopped.

She had erupted from below the fallen desk, dusted fallen papers off of her and had climbed back the ladder to see what the hell had happened, and then, she had discovered the scene.

The Enchanted Forest was as beautiful as Emma's memories had promised, but seeing it through her own eyes made it so much better she had felt like crying.

And then Killian had praised her appearance, saying she looked like a pirate, and she had felt her heart swell in her chest. It had been her intention all along, to make him proud and to see that smile of his again as he directed it at her.

How twisted she was...

* * *

She was in the middle of her contemplation of the forest beyond the shore when she doubled over, a cry erupting from her lips as she grabbed at her head.

Closing her eyes as she felt her mind wander far from there and into another soul.

 _She was angry, oh so angry she felt like killing someone. But she was balling her hands into fists, making sure she didn't give in her impulsions. In front of her, the small abandoned hut was calling her in like a secret kept. The Apprentice's home. If she didn't find anything about Merlin's whereabouts in there, she would be damned..._

Selene opened her eyes again and into Snow's worried face. The princess had both her hands on Selene's shoulders, and a circle had formed around her during her trance.

She let out a deep breath she had been keeping. "I've just seen Emma. She's at the Apprentice's house."

David exchanged a look with Killian, who hurried back at the helm.

* * *

 _ **A/N2:**_ _If you were wondering about Selene's outfit, just check out Kahlan from Legend of the Seeker on Google Images. ;)_


	6. Dreams

_A/N: Hello back everyone! I'm sorry for such a late update, but life has been happening, and basically I've been having interviews for several days now, and just today I've learnt that I was recruited to work in Ireland, so yaaaaaay! I'm so happy and excited and stuff, and I thought I owed it to you to write a quick chapter to apologize for life. ;)_

* * *

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ **_I do not own Once upon a time nor any of its characters. I only own the plot in this story as well as a major OC._**

* * *

 **6\. Dreams**

* * *

 _ **Selene**_

* * *

It had been several hours since Selene had had an unexpected taste of what was happening inside Emma's mind. She sat in the Captain's cabin, a mug of water in front of her, her blue eyes blurred as her thoughts raged on what she had seen, and how it had felt to see it.

It had been as if she had been torn from her own skin. Not altogether painful, but uncomfortable to be sure. And then there was the anger Emma felt. A burning rage that had scorched her soul as if made of dragon fire. She had almost combusted from the force of it, but the vision was over before the flames could do any real damage.

"Here. You're shaking." Selene felt a soft blanket being wrapped around her shoulders and she looked up to nod her thanks to Snow. She and Regina had accompanied her below deck right after the 'incident', seeing how shaken she was.

"It's nothing." She took a sip off her mug and almost choked on it.

In front of her, Regina crossed her arms, a dark eyebrow raising as she voiced her words of wisdom. "It's not an easy thing, to see through someone else's mind. You have a right to be unsettled by it."

The young woman tilted her head to the side. "You have heard of such things?"

The Queen nodded gravely. "Though not in the same context as here, obviously." She paced to the window and shook from head to toe. "It's very dark magic to invade someone's thoughts, and I never tried it."

"Then why can I-"

"You have Emma's memories, and it appears that by creating you she also unknowingly created a link between you two. Though why it sprang to life at that moment..." She shared a look with Snow, who shrugged as she patted the pillows on the bed in force of habit.

"Maybe..." Selene's eyes fell to the table again, "maybe it was because of what she was feeling..." She paused, her teeth gritting as she again remembered the scorching fire. "She was enraged. Truly enraged."

"Why?" Snow came to sit by her, her green eyes wide with worry for her daughter.

"She couldn't find anything useful to find Merlin. But she was fighting it." She tried a comforting smile, but knew it wasn't very convincing, for Snow's eyes only filled with another wave of worry.

Regina sighed from her stance at the window. "Anyway...until we know why you have those...visions, it would be better to use them as an asset. Hook has already set course for the Infinite Forest. We'll be there in the morning."

"She will be gone tomorrow." Selene stated. She did not know why, but it was a certainty: Emma would be gone when they docked in the morrow. It filled her veins with an ice-cold precision.

Snow and Regina exchanged another look but remained silent.

* * *

 _ **Killian**_

* * *

His thoughts were set on one purpose and one only, ever since the lass had seen into Emma's mind: finding her.

He may have been dependant on the winds and waves, but he could sail the Jolly to its full speed, then there was a chance they could catch her at the Apprentice's house. He had to have faith in that possibility, however slim.

His hand slipped inside his jacket and played around the contours of the dagger. Maybe if he only...just this once...and then send her back...but no, he didn't know what Emma would be like as a Dark One. For all he knew, she could have no memories of him at all, think him a foe, and rip his heart out. No, he had to be strong.

He had to find her. At any cost.

* * *

 _ **Emma**_

* * *

It hurt. Like a bitch.

She cracked an eye open and her hand went to clutch at her chest as it usually did anytime she felt like that. Rolling on her side and off the makeshift bed, she groaned as her knees collided with the ground.

Her sight was blurred, although with tears or something else, she didn't care. She raised her free hand, the one that was unscarred by her condition, and balled it into a fist she drove to her chest to try and dull the pain. In vain.

"Son of a-" she cursed before trying her legs. She stood and her sight unblurred, revealing the little room she had slept in: the Apprentice's.

She had not expected to find anything of value here, but the small voice playing incessantly at the back of her head had pushed her to go anyway, making her go through every cupboard, every drawer, breaking every pot, to make sure she was not overlooking any valuable clue.

Another wave of pain washed over her and she doubled over, hand going to her chest again. This time, she had to know: driving her hand through her skin, she pulled her heart off her chest, another proof that she was not the woman she used to be – once upon a time, her heart would have been immoveable.

It was as if she was looking at a necklace representing the Yin and Yang curves. One half of her heart was a white as could be, unstained, while the other was swirling with black ink that threatened to take over like a venom.

She put back her heart where it belonged and doubled over again. Her eyes fell to her left hand, and she curse again. A whirl of her wrist made a glove appear, and she hid the scaled skin from view. It was too hideous to be visible.

Her feet brought her outside, and she took a big gulp of air before turning on the spot. The house looked quiet enough, without any secret to hide other than the maze that had once sheltered the Sorcerer's Hat. Emma shook her head. She'd have to find Avalon another way.

She opened her arms wide, and a grey mist of smoke engulfed her, taking her far away, somewhere she would, hopefully, find answers...

* * *

 _ **Selene**_

* * *

This land was so strange. It was similar to the woods Emma remembered visiting or running to in her childhood, and at the same time completely different.

Perhaps it was the air that was different. An air that screamed 'magic' every time that her fingers would touch the bark of a tree of a fallen boulder.

She was aware of Regina's eyes on her, like a bird of prey ready to strike its victim, but she did not really know why the Queen was onto her. Maybe she didn't trust her. Yes, it had to be that.

Robin and Snow had both taken their bows out, and had notched an arrow each. The area, they had said, should have been emptied when Snow had cast the Second Curse, but apparently some, like Hook, had managed to outrun it, and none of the best.

"Here!" David shouted, and gestured to a hidden path to the side. A bush had been skillfully placed there to hide the smooth road to prying eyes, and at the end of it was the definite outline of a roof. Although no one would have been able to see it without squinting their eyes.

The group hurried down the path, and spread in a circle when they reached the hut. All was silent, but Selene did not feel better at all. Emma had been there, she could feel it more than remember it, and if she had felt followed, she could have left traps.

Apparently, Regina thought the same, for she waved her hands in the air. A cloud of smoke swirled inside the hut and then back out, and she nodded to her company. "It's safe. No one's here."

Snow's brow furrowed. She had certainly expected her daughter to still be here, Selene realised, and it made her feel somewhat sorry.

The house had been visited, and someone had snooped about. Every drawer had been emptied of its treasures, and a good numbers of pots had been smashed onto the ground as if to reveal their content.

David soon sighed and sheathed his sword back. "If she's found anything, she went away with it."

"She didn't find anything." Snow said. Her eyes were on the small bed, her hand playing over it without touching it. "She slept here." Her eyes met her husband's, an inch of hope squeezing into them.

Selene turned away from the scene, her eyes instead falling on an open trap-door in what originally served as a stable. With a glance behind at her companions, she descended the flight of stairs.

Fire lit the place at once, sending shadows on the painted walls. Selene's eyes were locked on the centre of the room, a pedestal that surely used to house a very valuable object before. Her fingers played on the stone, and when she felt a jolt of electricity surge through her, she backed away with a hiss.

* * *

"What's down here?"

Selene jumped a bit, and turned to face Killian, who had followed her but who had obviously not seen her touch the pedestal. "I think it was a hiding place."

He nodded and his eyes played around on the walls. When he met with something that interested him, he hurried to it, his hook tracing the patterns excitedly. "Stars." He turned to her, eyes glinting. "This is a star-map! One I've never seen before. I can only guess where it leads."

Selene gasped. Her hand still framing her aching fingers, she joined him. She pointed at a familiar pattern. "The Big Dipper."

He nodded. "Yes. If I'm not mistaken, this is the star-map to Avalon. Emma would not have known it. She's no sailor. However good a pirate she'd make," he added in a whisper. "Let's write this down."

* * *

Soon the whole group was made aware of their discovery, and they parted from the small hut quite happy that they had found a new and better way to find Avalon. However useful the Apprentice's potion was, everyone, and especially Killian, preferred to have a more precise course to follow.

They had gone back to the main road, their hopes up and their weapons therefore down, and a mighty growl interrupted their chatter.

Robin and Snow raised their bows at once while Regina raised a hand in the air, a snarl on her lips. "Ogres. I thought they were all dead!"

"Apparently not." David said as he took his gun. Swords would be useless in this fight.

Time stood still, but soon, the branches ahead started shaking with the weight of the creature coming their way. The tall form of the ogre appeared in sight, and Selene's lip turned upright in disgust. It was a greenish-skinned creature clad in pieces of metal that barely covered its chest and arms. It was growling, and when its small red-rimmed eyes settled on the group, it yelled.

"Duck!" Regina shouted as the ogre tore a tree from the ground and launched it at them. It passed over their heads and the Queen fired a curse at the beast, but it merely swayed on it's legs, unphased.

She cursed. "It's a tough one."

"Regina!" Robin shouted, but too late: another tree had been hauled at them, and she would have been too slow to avoid it.

Selene raised her hands instinctively, and her palms glowed a bright white light before the tree was blasted out of the way, and the magic barrelled into the ogre, which, with a moan of pain, ran off into the woods.

The group froze, and then Hook walked to Selene, his eyes locked to her hands. "What in the bloody hell-?!"


	7. A pirate's life for ye

_A/N: This chapter hurts. For everyone. Snowing, OutlawQueen, CaptainSwan, and stupid ol' Selene inside. You've been warned._

 _Also, Dee, kudos if you find out what the hell is wrong with Emma. ;)_

* * *

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ **_I do not own Once upon a time nor any of its characters. I only own the plot in this story as well as a major OC._**

* * *

 **7\. A pirate's life for ye**

* * *

 _ **Selene**_

* * *

She stood there, frozen, her eyes locked on her hands as if it was the first time she saw them. She felt strangely buzzed, as if she had juts drunk too much and was slightly dizzy from the booze. But she had not drunk, she had done _magic_.

Regina was the first to react. She stumbled to her feet where she had almost been trampled on by a tree, and walked to her, outstretching a hand to touch Selene's.

Selene who winced away and crumbled into a feeble heap. "Don't touch me! I'll hurt you!"

Regina's eyes were wide as she assessed the young girl on the forest ground. It had been her first encounter with magic, a magic she had more certainly not suspected she could wield, but surely, through Emma's memories, she knew that light magic could not so to speak _hurt_?!

Snow entangled herself from David's arms and took tentative steps towards the girl, who was watching her companions with doe-like eyes. "Selene. You won't hurt us."

"How do you know that? I can't be sure I can control this!"

"I can." Snow said, with a conviction that made Selene's inside twitch. She watched as the princess took several paces forward, her fingers reaching for her shoulder, and when contact was made, there was a big gush of...nothing.

Selene sighed in relief and closed her eyes for a second.

When she opened them again, she turned to Regina. "How?"

The Queen's brow was furrowed. "Emma. Again."

And that promptly ended the conversation.

* * *

 _ **Emma**_

* * *

She had been in the middle of a deserted village, her hand hovering over the ground in search for any kind of residual magic, when it happened.

Usually, she doubled over in pain every two minutes or so, the Darkness trying to take over her will and the light in her. But that was a whole other feeling. When she did double in pain, she could not stop the wave of dark wisps that erupted from her and blasted everything that stood within two feet of her.

She let out a mighty scream, one that could have awaken any kind of creatures nearby, and felt it. Felt the Darkness crawl under her skin, scorching yet another part of her.

When she would look at her heart later on, she'd see that the dark ink had eaten an inch more of white than it used to...

* * *

 _ **David**_

* * *

He did not understand half of what was happening. He may not have been the brightest person around, but David considered himself not to be altogether dumb. So when Selene produced light magic, he was surprised not to be surprised. If something like that could be said.

He had not conversed with the girl often since she had been...created, and for good reason.

Every time he looked at her, every time he heard her speak, it was like looking and hearing his daughter. Emma. Selene was but a pale copy of her, and she was not to be. She was an aberration, something that had to go back to the nothingness where it belonged. Just like an illness. He sensed she was not as pure as her magic entailed. Even if he was also certain that she did not know that herself.

* * *

"Hey, what's wrong?" Two slender arms closed around his waist, Snow's face pressing into his back.

He sighed and put a hand around hers. Before them the Forest River ran, on and on, the Jolly pacing quietly above its calm waters. "Nothing."

" _David..._ " He smiled, her voice holding that familiar note of scolding.

He relented. As usual. "I feel something is off with this whole adventure."

"Like what?"

"Like...her." He did not have to say her name, if it was a name at all. After all, Henry had been the one to name her. Otherwise, she'd still be... _Her_.

Snow sighed and rounded him, coming face to face with him and planting her green eyes in his blue. "I know it feels strange. But I trust Selene. And if she isn't as...righteous, as we could think, then I'd like to think I could have changed that. _By being kind to her._ " The last part was uttered with a slight pinch of sarcasm, and David nodded.

"Duly noted. But no. I don't. Trust her."

Snow raised a hand in annoyance, and walked away.

She knew that, in such a foul mood, he was as stubborn as the goats he used to shepherd.

Just like their daughter.

And just like Selene.

* * *

 _ **Regina**_

* * *

"Hold still, child!" she cringed as Selene moved for the umpteenth time.

The young woman sighed and tried to still her hand as the Queen passed her own digits over it to assess the damage and repair it.

Selene had, in a fit of anger/confusion/pain, smashed quite a good part of the poor Captain's rum barrels, and she had opened quite the nasty gash in her palm in the process.

"You don't have to do this..."

Regina raised a brow. "Why ever not?"

"I'm not sure I deserve it." Selene paused. "I may be dangerous."

"Nonsense. You only have to learn how to control your magic."

"I remember when Emma could no longer control hers. When she hurt everyone, including her father." Selene almost growled. "I don't want to be like her."

"You won't be. Because you are _not_ her." Regina emphasised on the last part, and the child – by all means, she was only a few days old, after all – looked at her, blue eyes startlingly wide. She smirked in victory. "Now stop smashing things up, or Hook will lock you away."

She was answered by a nod, and she exited the Captain's cabin.

* * *

Unlike others, she was quite indifferent to the girl's fate. She was only a means to an end, a tool to find Miss Swan and to end the Darkness once and for all. What happened to her before, during and after was not really her business.

She only approached her to learn more about her. And what she learnt wasn't really new.

Shaking the vial of blood she held in her hand, the Queen retreated to the crew's cabin, trying to find peace and quiet to run her little experience.

She had forgotten about Robin's ability to sneak on her.

She was waving an lazy hand over the vial when his voice arose from behind her, startling her. "What are you doing?"

She whirled around, not bothering to hide what she was doing. He'd find out anyway, and the time for lies and deceit was far behind them anyway. He advanced on her, his wide grin on his eating at his face, and she rolled her eyes. "I only was about to try and learn more about that girl."

" _That girl_ has a name, Regina," he chastised while wrapping his arms tightly around her waist, "and for better or for worse, she is our responsibility." She tried to snort, but he tutted at her. "Don't deny it."

Regina rolled her eyes again. "I'm not. Denying it."

"Good." He leaned in to peck her lips gently, then his blue eyes fell to the vial again. "What was it to do anyway? Glow if she was untrustworthy?"

She shrugged. "I don't really know what I expected," she sighed, "but it didn't happen."

She threw the vial behind her on a bunk bed, and Robin's grin turned wolfish. "Good. Now I can have my way with you." And he captured her lips once more.

Regina chuckled lightly and let him ravish her then and there. After she made sure they would not be interrupted, of course.

* * *

 _ **Selene**_

* * *

"Is it wise to remain alone, lass?"

She raised her gaze from her hands from where she sat on the bed, and watched as Killian descended the ladder to join her in his cabin. As usual, her heart began pounding almost painfully in her chest, and she tried to mute it down. "I'm not really fit for pep-talk right now..."

He ignored her promptly, and came to sit next to her on the bed. "You remind me of Emma when she first realised she had magic. I was there, you know..." He smiled proudly.

Selene mirrored it, somehow feeling better now they were having a _pep-talk_. "Yes, I had forgotten that..." Forgotten he had been there, even if a little dizzy, when Cora had unsuccessfully tried to rip Emma's heart out, and had been thrown away quite powerfully.

"Well, I could not. I had just opened my eyes after she had unceremoniously knocked me out," again the proud and loving smile, "and I saw the witch attack her. I was about to stand and to come to her rescue when it happened. When it flew out of her, and when she realised what she had done. The look on her face was half-surprise, half-horror. Just like you right now." He offered her a sympathetic smile which she answered.

"Yes, I guess I am feeling like this too..."

He nodded. "You are so like her. And yet you look so completely like me..." He paused. "You recognized the stars, earlier."

Selene's brow furrowed. "Yes, that didn't come from her."

He chuckled. "You'd definitely make a good pirate, lass. With Emma's wits and my good looks..."

She laughed right back.

It was agreeable, to spend some time not worrying about what she had just discovered and what lied ahead. Or the nagging feeling that the magic she had used was not entirely hers...

Killian drew her in for a quick hug of comfort, and she found herself breathing him in, her heart beating harder than ever. But he was all oblivious to that...

Until he drew back, and he met her eyes. Her deliciously dilated pupils and the way she was looking at him as if she wished nothing more than for him to lean in and kiss her senseless.

Selene realised the moment he understood.

The moment he shifted away as if struck, and the moment he excused himself, scratching his ear to notify his discomfort.

When the door closed on him, she closed her eyes.

Stupid stupid girl...

* * *

 _ **Killian**_

* * *

 _What was this?!_

Who was this girl who looked like him, spoke like him, and was like Emma?

Who was she, who Henry had presented like his _daughter_ and who looked at him as if she held strong feelings for him?

No one had looked at him like that, in deference and with a good amount of longing. Not even the bar wenches he had bed back when his ways weren't so honourable. No, they had looked at him like preys seducing the predator. Never like she had just done.

Only one woman had looked at him like that. And only once to his reckoning.

 _Emma._ When she had looked at him last, the whirl of Darkness engulfing her.

He stumbled inside the cellar, closing the door behind him. He was breathing hard, trying to shake the feeling that Selene was part of Emma, that she could be his tiny taste of her while he hadn't found her.

But she _wasn't_ Emma, and would never be.

His eyes widened upon realisation. He needed to see her. Right now.

His fingers closed around the dagger in his pocket, and he closed his eyes, uttering the five words he had vouched never to pronounce.

"Dark One, I summon thee."


	8. Her Saviour

_A/N: I'm baaaack! Sorry for the delay guys, but handling five fanfics plus one original story all at once, it's a bit messy. I think I can handle updating twice a month though. I know it's not a lot, and I'll try faster updates when I can, but hey...life and all. ;)_

 _PS: Just so you know, this chapter is my fav to date. :)_

* * *

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ **_I do not own Once upon a time nor any of its characters. I only own the plot in this story as well as a major OC._**

* * *

 **8\. Her Saviour**

* * *

 _ **Emma**_

* * *

" _Dark One, I summon thee."_

She felt the pull as strongly as if a car had been tied to her waist and carrying her wherever it wanted. It started at her chest, although not anywhere near her heart, and started growing in intensity until she could not do anything than obey its will.

So this is what it felt like, when summoned by a dagger.

She hated it.

For a moment, she tried to fight it, because she did not want to show whoever had summoned her what she had become; but the pain was almost unbearable, and she had no other choice.

Eyeing the library she had roughly scouted one last time, she opened her arms wide, and disappeared in a grey mist.

* * *

 _ **Killian**_

* * *

He regretted it the moment the words escaped his lips. It knew it had been a bad idea to summon her on the Jolly, which is why he had always refused to do it up to that point. What if she was truly changed? What if she, like Gold, hated him so much she'd try to kill him? He did not want to stain her soul by "forcing" her to kill him.

And yet, as a cloud of grey smoke filled the crew's cabin, he knew it was too late to take it back.

The cloud dissipated, and Killian stood, the dagger still firmly held in his hand as a lone form appeared in front of him.

It was her.

 _It was her._

She held her head downwards, evading his sight, but it was her. She was wearing the same clothes she had been on that fateful night, except perhaps a black glove on her left hand, hand that she held tight in a fist as if she was in pain.

"Swan?" he whispered helplessly.

" _Don't_." came her answer. He started a little, because the voice was unmistakeably hers and yet so very different; but it did not deter him. Placing the dagger on the bed behind him, he took a tentative step forward, holding out his hand as if wishing her to take it.

"I'm not going to hurt you, love."

There was a twitch in her crouching posture, as if she had wished to do something, like look at him, but had thought against it at the last moment. "I will hurt you, Hook. I know I will. Don't touch me."

 _Hook_. Not Killian. He had expected it, but it didn't hurt any less.

Without meaning it, he hissed, and she twitched again. Her shoulders slumped and she sighed. "I don't want you to see me like this. Why have you summoned me?"

He did not answer right away. Why had he summoned her? He did not really know. Was it because of how Selene had looked at him? Was it because he could not bare having her so far from him again? Or was it perhaps a mix of the two?

"There is a girl here," he chose to say, "a girl whom you've created."

At that Emma Swan looked up, and Killian forgot everything he had willed to say, his blue eyes locking on her appearance, mouth agape and a slight frown waving over him as he took her in. She froze too, possibly realising that he know could see her fully, and her lips set in a hard line. But she could not escape.

* * *

He had been around the Crocodile enough to recognize the affliction. Half of Emma's face was scorched with the scale-like skin that Gold had adorned so long ago. It began at her left temple, stretching onto her cheek and going down on her whole chin to lose itself in her shirt. One of her eyes had lost its green colour in favour or a golden hue circled with red. It was hideous. Hideous and yet, it was still her.

Killian Jones could never say he'd stop loving Emma Swan because she was scarred. It would be the least characteristic thing he'd ever say.

So instead, he reached for her and grasped her left hand in his, gripping harder when she tried to pull away. "What has happened?"

She huffed, an angry sound that was reminding him of when they had first met. "What do you think happened? The Darkness. Half of me belongs to it."

"But half of you doesn't." He tried to soothe her by running his thumb along her knuckles, but she pulled herself free and moved as far from him as she could.

It was like watching a wild animal you were trying to tame. "What did you mean about the girl I created?"

He sighed and scratched his ear. "It appears that, when trapped in the book, you created someone to save you from the tower. A mix between you, Henry, and I."

Emma's eyes widened, and for a fleeting second, he saw his beloved reflected back in the surprise he saw there. It was gone in a blink. "My Saviour."

"Your what?"

"My Saviour. I wished for a saviour for my own. I wished it so strongly that my magic flew out of me and I spent it whole." He remembered that she had been magicless in the book, but right then it hadn't bothered him. He had died for her, after all, and it wouldn't have been possible if she had had the means to counter her mother's powers. "She is here?"

"She is on this ship." He decided not to tell her that Selene could see inside her head. Not when she was like this. "She wanted to come."

Emma hissed. "She should not exist. All magic comes with a price..." She let out a snarl and he started again, the sound being so close to the Crocodile's that he thought he had appeared in the room. "You should not let this out of your grasp." She pointed at the bed, and he turned around, eyes widening when he saw the dagger lying there. How stupid of him.

He reached for it at the same time as her, and reached it before she did, but in the momentum, they became entangled in front of the bed, and their faces were so close he ached to kiss her, scars or not.

She saw it in his eyes and moved away as if burnt.

"I should leave. I cannot retain the Darkness for too long." She raised a hand but he lifted the dagger and it stopped her.

"Swan!" He paused. "I love you." It was a simple phrase, simple enough. Just a reminder. To let her know that hadn't changed.

But instead of making her relax, it made her tense, and begin to shake with uncontrolled tremors. She winced and moaned in pain, as if his quiet confession had wounded her deeply, and she doubled over, closing her eyes. She tried to croak a "Run" but before he could process what she had said, a wave of grey magic shot from her and hit him so hard that he flew back and landed square on the wall.

He hit his head so hard that a crack could be heard, and she disappeared in a whirl of grey, leaving him in silence, the dagger clutched in his hand as a pool of blood stretched under him...

* * *

 _ **Snow**_

* * *

"What was _that_?" She shouted at David as a deafening crack echoed through the whole ship. Her husband looked at her with those wide eyes filled with determination, and they hurried below deck, where they had left Hook and Selene earlier.

When they reached the Captain's cabin, the girl erupted from it like a fury, eyes wide with worry. "What happened?"

Snow shook her head. "It wasn't you?"

"No. But Killian was not with me." She bit her lip in worry, and Snow's eyes narrowed on the gesture. It was at times like these that she questioned Selene's true motives concerning the pirate. She seemed to care too much for him, it was starting to make her tense.

"Over here!" shouted Robin nearby, and they all ran down the corridor to one of the crew's cabin, the one Snow and David shared.

They all gasped upon seeing Hook lying on the floor, dagger in hand and blood pouring under him. He was as white as sheet, but Regina was already waving her hands over him to find the wound and treat him.

When his head had glowed a peaceful purple hue, the Queen straightened, blood smearing her hands, and she turned to Snow and David, the former tensing under the intensity of the Queen's gaze. "She was here. Emma."

Snow gulped, and reached for David's hand. "How do you know?"

"I can feel the magic that flew through here. She cannot control it. My guess is that she burst out and hurt Hook without meaning to. Otherwise she'd have taken the dagger with her."

"And how can we be sure that it's the real dagger?" David asked.

Regina smirked. "He wouldn't be gripping it so tight if it had been replaced, believe me." She looked at Robin at her side. "He should move him to his cabin."

David moved away from Snow and helped the archer scoop up the pirate to carry him away. Snow caught Regina's eye and she silently questioned the look in there, her step-mother tilting her head to the side as if things were far worse than expected.

"If he really summoned her here...we can only hope he didn't say too much."

Snow nodded gravely, her eyes going to Selene again, who was standing in the doorway, her blue eyes following Hook's departure.

Yes, let's hope he didn't say too much...

* * *

 _ **Selene**_

* * *

It was horrible, seeing him in that state after what she had done.

She had remained in the cabin for long minutes after he had left, crying her eyes out at her own stupidity. Nothing would ever be the same now he had seen the longing in her eyes. She knew it and she hated it.

And now, seeing how he had been hurt, she could only feel guilty knowing that he probably wouldn't have summoned Emma if she had reined in her hormones. Stupid girl.

She was up on deck before any of her companions had returned, and thought about jumping off board for a second. She would be out of their air and not putting them in danger this way; and it didn't matter if she lived or die because either way, she was not meant to be.

"-have another problem, though..." came Regina's voice as she and Snow exited the staircase leading up on deck.

"What is it?"

The Queen gestured aimlessly to the wheel. "No one can steer that thing apart from Hook."

Snow nodded, jaw set gravely and a look of acceptance making its way on her face. She was accepting the eventuality that she would never see her daughter again.

And _that_ Selene could not fathom.

"I can sail it."

Both women snapped their eyes at her in surprise. "You can?" asked Snow.

She nodded. "Apparently I have enough Jones blood in my false veins to know how to sail the Jolly." She almost froze at the frown she saw creep on Snow's features, but thought against it. It probably was nothing. She whirled around and moved to the helm, taking the wheel in a gentle caress. She felt the wood almost hum to her in response, and she smirked a true pirate-like smirk. "Let's go, my darling."


	9. Avalon

_A/N: Hi there! I hope you're not bored of this story, because here comes another chapter! ;)_

 _Also, I received a couple of questions regarding Emma's appearance. Well, remember that they are in the Enchanted Forest and that the Darkness somehow took her there as soon as it got under her skin (literally so). This is why, in this story, she has at least some of her skin resembling Rumpelstiltskin's. I don't know if it'll be canon in the show, but it is here. :)_

* * *

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ **_I do not own Once upon a time nor any of its characters. I only own the plot in this story as well as a major OC._**

* * *

 **9\. Avalon**

* * *

 _ **Selene**_

* * *

Sailing the Jolly Roger was like a dream come true. Selene felt freer than she had ever been since being created. Her mind was at ease, set solely on the horizon and the star map in front of her. She was tracing the indentations in the wheel ever so often, knowing them so well she didn't have to look to know which turn the ship had taken.

For entire days she remained at the helm, refusing to speak, to sleep or to eat. The magic she now knew was in her provided her some strength, and if she still needed sustenance in the form of an apple or a glass of rum – all taken while the others weren't looking – she was acting like a robot most of the time.

She had found a purpose: that of guiding the group to Avalon, and find Merlin, the man who could set her free. Who could make sure she had never been at all.

This was her happy ending. To disappear into a void and forget she had ever existed and met those wonderful people.

* * *

 _ **Killian**_

* * *

His head was horribly painful when he came to his senses. It felt as if he had been run over by those 'cars' once more. He groaned, and then realised he wasn't on the hard floor of the crew's cabin anymore. He could feel the softness of his own mattress under his body.

His eyes opened, first tentatively, then more firmly when he was used to the blinding light. A glass of water was on the bed-stand next to him and he lashed onto it, groaning again when the quick movement sent a pang of pain to the back of his skull.

He could remember everything with painful surety. Emma. Her skin. The way she had fought the Darkness in her. The way his confession of love had sent her magic plummeting from her.

What truly surprised him, in fact, was when he realised as he stood that the Jolly was in movement. Only he could sail his beloved ship, and no one else. Well, young Henry could, but he wasn't there.

So he tried to hurry up on deck to make sure that Blackbeard hadn't once again come to steal from him. Not that he would still be alive and breathing if that had been the case.

He wasn't prepared for the sight he was given as he climbed on deck, head still throbbing.

The lass was there, standing at the helm in a posture that was so close to his own it was painful to look at it. A small smile was on her lips, and she looked happy. He hadn't seen that look on her face ever since he had met her, and it was a welcome change, for she truly was a thing of beauty, reminding him of Milah somehow.

The attire she still wore flew in the breeze, making her look like a proper pirate, and he found himself staring.

* * *

"She's been up there since you were hurt." came the voice of the Prince, and Killian looked to the side as David approached him, blue eyes on the lass as well.

"Which has been how long?"

"Three days." It wasn't really surprising. He had been quite badly hurt, he could remember the way he had felt the sticky feeling of blood as he fell to the floor, but three days was a long time. "We should arrive tomorrow at most. Or so she says."

"She must know what she is doing..." Killian whispered, trying to guess why she could sail his ship as if she was born on it.

"She said it was her memories of you that helped. But she hasn't been speaking to any of us since she took the wheel." David paused, then looked back at him, and the pirate felt strangely small under his scrutiny. Not that he'd ever tell him that. "What happened?"

Killian was unsure was to what he was referring, so he chose the easy path. "I summoned Emma and told her I loved her. It sent her into some kind of fit, and she...attacked me. Not that she meant to."

The Prince nodded, lips set into a line. He didn't say anything for a long moment, then, "Why did you summon her? You always said you wouldn't."

Killian swallowed hard. "I needed to see her."

David's eyes fleeted to the lass, and the pirate next to him wondered how perceptive he really could be. But he didn't say anything more, and patted his shoulder as he walked off and back below deck.

Killian stared at the pirate lass for a long moment still, and then went back to his cabin to change into clean and not blood-stained clothes.

* * *

 _ **Snow**_

* * *

She had spent the last few hours planning things with Regina. They had agreed that, if stumbling upon Emma's path, it was better to make sure she was haltered while they were looking for Merlin. It had hurt, thinking of her daughter as an enemy, but Regina had a more practical approach to the whole thing.

Emma was not an enemy to them as much as she was an enemy to herself. If she harmed any more of their group, she'd lose herself. Hurting Hook surely had already scarred her.

Regina had been quite adamant: she remembered what it had felt like to kill her own father.

So here they were, trying to find a way to lure Emma away from Avalon without any squid ink at their disposal. And Robin's presence, although soothing at moments, did nothing to calm Snow's raging mind. He always had some of the most violent ideas in her opinion. Like knocking Emma out. And then drugging her so she remained out.

The sun had dawned for a couple of hours when Selene's voice shook the three of their current thoughts. "Land!" it was saying, and all hurried on to deck.

Upon seeing Killian up and about, Snow felt a great relief wash over her. She had been scared for the pirate's life, and she knew that her daughter would never have been able to forgive herself had the damage been permanent.

Selene was pointing to the horizon, an empty bottle in her hand. The Apprentice's potion. Snow followed her pointed finger, and gaped. There was an island of a good size before her eyes. It didn't look wild as Neverland had been, it looked quite familiar in fact, with trees the same as in the Enchanted Forest, and a high tower peaking over the forest. She could also see where a waterfall fell into the sea. It was beautiful.

"We're there." came the relieved sigh of David at her side. Blindly, she reached for her husband's hand and squeezed. Their aim was close. Emma's saviour was close.

"What do you mean, you're not coming?"

They were all on deck as the Jolly got closer and closer still to the shore, and Selene had her blue eyes set stubbornly on the words she had just uttered. Snow was glaring at the girl, but as a true Charming, she was ignoring the look.

"I mean that I am not coming with." She raised a hand to stop Snow from intervening. "It's too dangerous. I can't control my magic, or whatever it is, and if you meet with Emma, she surely won't like me too much." Her eyes fleeted to Killian at that before looking back at Snow, who tensed. "Find Merlin, and bring him back here, that's all I ask."

"Why would you need the wizard?" asked Hook, and Selene's gaze turned pained. Surely it had something to do with the fact that she had avoided them for the last few days.

"My reasons are my own. Besides, the Apprentice hinted that I was not worthy of Merlin's help. You'll be better without me."

Snow opened her mouth to answer, but Regina's hand on her arm stopped her. "Let it go, Snow. She is right. Besides, it's better if someone stayed with the ship. You never know."

At that Killian approached the girl, who almost flinched away from him. He sighed. "Take care of her for me."

A small smile appeared on Selene's lips. "I promise."

He nodded once, pausing as if he wished to say or do something else, and then turned to Robin. "Help me with the plank, archer."

* * *

 _ **Regina**_

* * *

The Queen was puzzled, and she did not like feeling puzzled. She was staring at the girl intently, waiting, perhaps, for a look back, something that would perhaps help her understand who she truly was. But Selene didn't move from her perch at the helm, and Regina remained puzzled.

Ever since she had barged into their lives, the stranger who looked eerily like Hook had been a source of worry and wonderment, and most of all trouble.

Emma was the Dark One, and she knew now that she had somehow created a magical being while trapped in the book. And if Hook was honest about things – which he usually was nowadays – she hadn't been pleased by the news. She had taken it rather violently, in fact.

Selene was an abomination, and Regina knew that. But as much as her old self would stop at nothing to see the girl eradicated from the surface of the Earth, well, her new self was more compassionate. She had not asked to be...made, and had to live through divergent memories and flashes inside someone else's head...

No, in fact, if Regina understood one thing about her, it was that she wished to remain behind.

* * *

The island they set foot on looked extremely similar to their Enchanted Forest. If she couldn't still see the mast of the Jolly behind her on the road, Regina could have though herself back in the Endless Forest.

Robin was at her side, his hand firmly gripping his bow, eyes darting to the trees around them as if the archer in him could sense they were followed. Before them, David had his hand on the hilt of his gun – peculiar, when he was dressed as a Prince – and Snow on the hilt of her sword. Hook was behind, falling behind more like, as he seemed to check every second or so that his beloved ship was still there.

They had been walking North-East for a good hour when they suddenly heard clamours and the hooves of horses headed their way. The group assembled, Regina opening a hand as she readied herself to launch a ball of fire.

The sight she was given did nothing to soothe her worries.

* * *

A group of five riders were galloping their way, and all five were clad in shiny armour with a blood-red cape flowing behind them. They rode in a 'V' formation, as if the first rider was their leader. As they neared, Regina couldn't see what was special about the man: he looked young, barely old enough to sport a beard of his own, with jet-black hair and green eyes. He could have been Snow's brother.

The group stopped right in front of them, far too close for comfort but also far too close to be safe in case either of them attacked. The boy dismounted, and sighed in...relief?

"We found you. Merlin be blessed, we were beginning to think you'd never come!"

Regina exchanged a confused look with Snow, and as always, dear old Charming was the one to voice their worries. "You were...waiting for us?"

"We were. Our master has been surveying your progress ever since you left your realm." He looked at Regina and smiled, something that she felt was completely out of place. "Your Majesty. We have heard so many things about you. It is an honour. My name is Galahad."

There was a general gasp, except from Robin – who could know, after all – and then Snow croaked "Of the Knights of the Round Table?"

"The same, Princess." The boy looked at her and the smile didn't falter. "This is Avalon, home to the Knights. We know, of course, that you became friends with our brother, Lancelot, before he left this life. We shall think of you as a friend."

Regina was getting bored of this conversation, and was studying the rest of the 'knights' from where they still sat atop their horses. They all looked older than Galahad, perhaps by a year or two, except for one who looked older than even herself. His grey hair was cut so short he almost appeared to be bold.

But what was the most surprising, was the presence of a woman among them. She was also clad in armour, although she still sat on her horse in the way of the Amazons and no sword shone at her side. Her long bronzish hair fell to her back, and pale blue eyes were staring right at her.

"We are to guide you to our dwelling," Galahad was saying in a proper impersonation of someone stuck in the Middle Ages, "our master awaits."

She had long guessed, of course, that the 'master' in question had to be Merlin, but if they really were knights of the legend, then where was Arthur?

"May I present my brothers-in-arms?" Galahad gestured to the other riders. "Gawain, my cousin," he pointed at a young man who resembled him greatly despite his eyes being so dark they looked black, "Tristram and Ywain," two blonde knights who both sported angry scars on their faces – one on the eye for the first, and one of the cheek for the other – "and finally, Kay, the wisest of us all." The older one grunted in greeting. He exuded strength, but not wisdom.

"And I am Lady Vivian, Lady of the Lake." said the woman with a voice that was far too ethereal to be human.

"You are a nymph," said Regina, and the woman nodded.

"I am, Regina Queen. May we both set aside our prejudices on the other."

Regina was starting to feel uncomfortable, because yes, she had strong prejudices about nymphs and their powers – and also their propensity to distribute love as if it was a sweet – when the introductions were interrupted by a cry along the road.

A rider appeared, not clad in armour but in a leather jerkin, brown hair flying atop his head as he galloped towards them.

"Percival?" Galahad asked, worry lacing his words, "what is it?"

The man stopped his horse and took a deep breath to settle himself, and then said, words dooming, "Our master has been taken."


	10. The Knights of the Round Table

_A/N: Hey there! Sorry for the lateness, guys, I just moved to Ireland and I am still trying to find some time to write and update my stories... :/ So it surely will get less organised from now on, or at least until I find an apartment and have my own little schedule to live by. ;) Anyway, enjoy this chapter!_

* * *

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ **_I do not own Once upon a time nor any of its characters. I only own the plot in this story as well as a major OC._**

* * *

 **10\. The Knights of the Round Table**

* * *

 _ **Regina**_

* * *

As soon as the news broke, the five Knights started fussing about. Regina exchanged a worried look with Robin then Snow, and lifted a hand in the air to bring back a certain amount of silence. "Wait a second, what happened precisely?" she asked while staring at the newest knight - Percival, apparently.

He looked at her, startled grey eyes wide. "We were all out of the Council Room when it happened. We felt like a storm was inside, and the doors were thrashing about. When we finally got in, Dagonet and I, our master was fighting someone with his magic. But she was too strong and she managed to take him away."

" _She?_ " Snow asked, but Regina – and herself, she was sure – already knew the answer to her pointless question.

"It was your daughter, Your Majesty. The Saviour."

Vivian sighed, calm blue eyes resting on the surrounding forest. "Not the Saviour anymore: the Dark One." She looked at Snow and David, and Regina felt a shiver run up her spine. "The person she was always meant to be."

"That is not true!" rang Hook at once. "Emma is not bad by nature! We came here so Merlin could help us save her!"

The nymph looked right through him, and looked back at Galahad. "We should go back, where I can see where they went."

The Knight nodded at her and gestured his companions away. He placed his own horse's reins in David's hand for him and Snow to ride while he moved to ride with his cousin – Gawain, Regina remembered. Robin and her were given one of the blonde and scarred knights, and Hook was left to ride behind the oldest of the group. He looked so uncomfortable it brought a smirk to her lips as she wrapped her arms around Robin's waist.

* * *

 ** _Snow_**

* * *

Snow could remember some of the tales Lancelot had told her when they had met about rhe magnificent city of Camelot. But she was too distressed, too worried to really pay attention to its magnificence when they entered its walls.

David skillfully rode their horse behind the Knights', and when they stopped at the entrance of what looked like an enormous castle, Galahad moved to speak with a very young-looking woman with strikingly golden hair.

"This is Guinevere, our Queen," said Gawain as he helped Snow down the horse. "She is in charge with our Master."

David's eyes roamed around with a frown. "And...Arthur?"

Gawain's eyes darkened in a immesurably sad hue. "Our King has been dead for centuries, Your Majesty. I'm afraid he is lost to us. As are others that fell at the cursed city of Camlann."

Snow wanted to ask, but it was not the right time. As she caught sight of Vivian, the sorceress - or nymph, apaprently there was a difference - as she dismounted and hurried inside without a look back, she knew she was close to finding her daughter. This time, for good.

The Queen Guinevere waited for all five travellers to reach her before she greeted them with a tight-lipped smile.

"I am Guinevere, Queen of Camelot. I would welcome you more warmly if the situation was different. However, our Master, Merlin, as been abducted by your daughter."

"We know." David said at once. "Can you help us find them?"

"Lady Vivan will try her best, I am sure. Come, she'd be this way." She took Galahad's offered arm and both lead the way inside the halls. This time again, Snow didn't pay attention to the magnificence of the castle. She could feel her heart hammering in her chest, and her hands balled into fists.

Her worry only got up a notch when she heard Hook's whisper. "I wonder what the lass is up to."

Yes, she too wondered what Selene was up to...

* * *

 ** _Selene_**

* * *

As soon as her companions had gotten off the ship, Selene had retreated to the Captain's Cabin to rest. She felt a strange tingling in her palms, as if the magic she had discovered in her veins wanted desperately to find a way out.

It got somehow stronger some hour after the others' departure, and she found herself doubling over on the deck, gritting her teeth as the force of it sent ripples through her blood.

She had been wondering if it'd be a good idea to throw herself in the sea to finish with pain and life when a whirl of light and smoke alike stretched onto the deck, and a heavy 'bunk' announced the arrival of something or someone on the Jolly. Immediately, the pain ceased.

Selene opened her eyes and straightened, hand going to the cutlass she had left on a barrel, but once the smoke cleared and she saw one of the two people who had landed on deck, she froze.

Emma. Emma was there.

* * *

 _She_ was staring at her, just like she was staring at _her_. Mildly aware of the man lying unconscious at the Dark One's feet, Selene kept her blue eyes strained on her creator, the sword in her hand lowering instinctively.

Emma's face was almost entirely covered in scales, her skin taking a golden hue whenever the light caught in them. One of her eyes was golden; the other was the same green as Snow's.

"So you are her." she suddenly said, eyes wide and lips turned in a snarl. Selene shivered. There was such anger in that voice.

"Who?"

"The one I created."

"Yes. My name is Selene."

Emma turned her head to the side. "You have a name?"

"Henry gave it to me."

There was a silence, and Emma's eyes took a softer tone, and she hissed as if a pang of pain had shot through her. Through gritted teeth, she asked "How is Hook?" and Selene felt a pang of jealousy shoot through her.

"He is well. He is with your parents. There have gone to Camelot to find Merlin."

"There are too late," she answered, eyes pointedly turning to the form behind her on the floor.

For the first time, Selene looked at the man. He didn't seem to be older than forty, with a greying beard and short hair that curled under slightly pointed ears. He was wearing a long red tunic that must have seen better days.

"This is-"

"Merlin, yes. And you are going to sail this ship away so he and I can have a little conversation." Emma advanced on Selene, the snarl back on her lips as she looked her up and down. "Conversation that involves you and what I'll do with you."

Selene opened her lips to give her a suggestion, but kept silent. She doubted the Dark One - or Dark Swan, as some called her - had good intentions towards her creation.

Not when she looked so pained whenever her eyes fell on her...


	11. Mother

_A/N: Hello everyone and prepare yourselves for a lenghty author's note!_

 _As most of you may have realised, I have not updated this story for almost two years. There are several reasons for it: I moved to a different country, I got a job that sucked most of my writer's inspiration out of me; I got depressed, etc. And the most prevalent, I think, would be that I lost complete faith in Once upon a time. I have not watched it since season five ended - and what a shitty end, seriously, and I don't intend to start watching it anytime soon._

 _As a result, I lost will to write a story about that series, about those characters, even if I still love them for who they have been for several wonderful series._

 _It was only the kind and invigorating message of one of you that made me wish to finish this story. Because it would not be very long now, and because I don't like to leave things hanging and unfinished. So you can all thank dancingmylifeaway for indirectly bringing you this new chapter._

 _I will finish this. I promise. I don't know how often I'll update, but I will finish this story. Because Selene is my baby, and because for once, I think our gang need some time off crappy endings._

 _Enjoy this chapters and leave reviews if you so wish!_

* * *

 ** _Disclaimer: I do not own Once upon a time nor any of its characters. I only own the plot in this story as well as a major OC._**

* * *

 **11\. Mother**

* * *

 _ **Selene**_

* * *

She had been sailing the Jolly for what seemed like hours. Her thoughts were raging, more often than not settling on a means to contact the others at shore. Emma had forced her to sail some distance away from Avalon, and Selene felt immensely distressed at the very prospect of having to leave them behind.

As much as she wanted to convince herself that it was wrong, they were her family too now. She would not abandon them.

Her "mother" had been busy doing God-know-what below deck for the good part of an hour, and if the regular tinkles she was hearing were any clue, she was rummaging through Hook's stuff.

Their captive – Merlin, the great Sorcerer with a capital S – was still unconscious and in the same spot he had been left in. Selene wondered briefly what exactly Emma had done to him. He didn't look to be in pain, but he wasn't exactly looking perfectly fine either.

Her thoughts of taking him and trying her magic to escape were cut short when Emma erupted from below deck, an angry vibe around her – then again, she was always angry nowadays.

Her golden and green eyes settled on her harshly, and she pointed with her chin towards the man. "It's time. Leave the wheel and wake him up." She had something in her hand, but Selene did not see what.

The Sorcerer awoke after a couple of gentle shakes. He was startled, and stared at her blankly and somehow fearfully before remembering his bearings and sitting up abruptly.

He raised a hand as if to conjure something, and Emma hissed. "Do not even think about it."

Merlin's eyes fell on her, and he sighed. "My child, I told you, this was not necessary."

"You made me who I am, _Merlin_ ," she spat the name. "Now you're going to fix me."

"I told you," he groaned as he stood, and Selene did not dare help him up, "I cannot. Not alone."

Emma took two steps forward and hissed again. "And I told you I don't trust you or your petty little friends. You'll do it here. And now."

Merlin sighed again, and Selene was struck with how he did not seem scared of Emma. At all. He must have truly been powerful to be untouched by the darkness surrounding her. Maybe he could defeat her if he had the occasion. If what Emma said was true, and he had created the Dark Ones, it made sense anyway…

"I cannot. Once again, I urge you to listen. I need-"

"Don't try to trick me, warlock," another spat, "I have ended lives more worthy than yours."

The man smirked in response. Selene silently moved to a secluded part of deck. She didn't want to miss one second of this exchange, and at the same time, she didn't want to be caught in the cross-fire…

* * *

 _ **Emma**_

* * *

The worm. The worthless worm. He thought he could trick her with his words, but she knew better.

He had harnessed Darkness inside the dagger once. He could suck it out of her with a snap of his fingers.

He could not fool her.

The fingers of her left hand twitched under the sudden need to lash out at him, as she had done in the castle walls. Her anger had reined in any sense in her, and she had just launched all she could at his face until he collapsed and she took him.

But she could not afford to wait for him to recover again.

"I am not lying, Emma." He moved to a barrel and sat on it, angering her even further. "When I created the dagger, and the being that came with it, I was not alone. The first Dark One was the woman who helped me. Nimueh."

"I don't care what lies you give me." She advanced on him, hand and lips trembling under her rage. "You'll cure me." Her eyes fell on the pitiful child who was barely hidden beneath the stairs. "And you'll destroy _her_."

Merlin's eyes followed hers. His gaze turned a new shade, somehow painted with something akin to fear. Emma tilted her head to the side. "You are scared of her."

"Everyone is scared of something they do not understand," he answered calmly before looking back at her. "I cannot destroy her. You created her. You must undo your own curse."

Emma felt the rage stir to life dangerously in her veins. The Darkness wanted out, wanted to harm, to kill. It wanted to defend itself against the being that had all the keys to her destruction. It wanted to kill Merlin, the great Sorcerer, and it wanted to destroy the girl to oblivion.

How dare she? How dare she exist and take her place in her family like this?

How dare she breathe still?

There was a gasp and Emma's gaze settled on the girl – she had even been given a name, for God's sake! She was clawing at her throat, eyes bulging as if she was suffocating. Emma realised quickly that her magic had reached out for the girl and was trying to end her, and for a crazy moment, she tightened her hold around the girl's throat.

Selene's blue eyes were glazed over, tears spilling on her cheeks. But something else was there too.

Beneath the blue, a whirl of emotions and of something different was brewing, and as the girl continued fighting against the invisible hand choking her, her arm shot towards Emma, and a bolt of pure white light struck her right in the chest.

Emma flew backwards on the deck, but she flew to her feet quickly, just as Selene coughed and sucked in painful breaths. Her blue eyes met Emma's, and she raised her hand again, in defence only.

Emma growled and the Darkness reached out to kill the girl again – so she had magic, the brat, and hers, nonetheless. She needed to suffer for her theft.

Tendrils of grey magic – but darker by the second – aimed for the girl's heart, but another bolt of white magic dissipated it quickly. This time the bolt transformed into a wide shield of pure light, and the force of it made Emma double over in pain.

It was excruciating. The scorching of even more skin, the changing of her self. The blackening of her heart. She could feel it, feel its fire as it ate away at her body.

She cried out in pain and her eyes – both golden – raised to watch as the girl disappeared in a cloud of white smoke.

Emma squeezed her eyes shut once more under the onslaught of pain.

* * *

When she came to, Emma had been lain down on the Captain's bed. She bolted up, alarm ringing in her veins when she remembered where she was and with whom. The cabin was empty. She quickly assessed the state of her body – scales covering almost every inch of her by then – before running up on deck, to check if the warlock was still there.

He could have run away, a hundred times over, and yet, he was there, sitting on the same barrel as before, eyes closed and lips moving under what seemed to be meditation.

He opened his hazel eyes when she approached, and a sad smile appeared on his lips.

"I am so sorry, my child. Everything that is happening to you makes no sense. It was not written so. I truly am sorry."

Emma stared at him blankly, and was surprised to notice that she was not raging with anger for once. The Darkness had eaten her almost completely away, and yet, she retained some sort of calm.

She wondered if Killian had done something to her dagger.

"You said you needed something to cure me."

Merlin smiled. "I am glad you see reason. Yes, I need two things. Your dagger, for one-" she nodded, she knew exactly who had it and was glad of it for once, "-and a nymph. Vivian, who lives in Camelot, will do the trick."

"Why do you need her?"

"I need someone to help me suck the Darkness out of you. Vivian is very powerful and will gladly help. Nymphs are born of magic, a bit like you: their supply of power is infinite."

Emma nodded sharply. "Then let's find her and my dagger."

Merlin nodded back. "Let's."

* * *

 _ **Killian**_

* * *

He did not care for the castle's beauty as the Queen led them to wherever the witch had gone. She could tell them about this column or that statue, the only thing he cared about was to find Emma.

 _I'm close, my love, I'm close_ , he kept repeating himself.

He hoped it was true.

He wondered again what the lass was up to on his ship. He doubted she'd bolt and leave them stranded on that medieval island, but she had been acting strange for a while. The last time wasn't when she looked about to kiss him.

The thought was still disturbing him on many levels…

"Hook, you alright?" He looked at David who was walking beside him and nodded once without answering.

The Queen finally stopped in front of a simple door, one of the few that was not heavily decorated, and knocked once. Then she entered, her Knight in tow, followed by the rest of the gang.

Regina's eyes danced on the room with the same calculated gaze she had had countless times since he had met her – she was assessing every potential threat, and he was glad for it.

Robin settled next to his lover, unsurprisingly surveying the sorceress – or witch, or nymph, whatever suited her best – who was bend over a basin filled with what looked like fragrant water.

The Charmings approached her first, of course.

"Have you found her?" asked Snow White. His heart constricted as he waited for an answer.

"She is on your vessel." Vivian said simply, with a hint of a smile. Killian's eyes widened. On the Jolly? But-

"Selene!" he said with worry. Snow mirrored his gaze, while David's brow furrowed.

"What else do you see?"

The nymph pursed her lips. "I am not a seer, David Nolan. I can see where your daughter is, and I can see that she has Merlin close, as well as a part of herself. I guess it is the anomaly that the old man has been talking about for a while now." She moved away from the table, long limbs graceful as she paced around the room. "I guess you could go back to your boat and apprehend her. Although they have set anchor a bit far from the coast, I'm afraid."

She was advancing on Killian with something in her eyes that he didn't quite like.

Regina liked it even less. "What do you think you are doing?"

Vivian looked at her with a raised brow. "What ever do you mean?"

The Queen – Guinevere – cleared her throat. "I am sorry. Vivian, can you please help us retrieve Merlin? And the Saviour?"

The magical being tilted her head to the side. "I think I can. But I don't know if I will."

Her eyes fell on Killian again, and his blood froze. There was something predatory in her eyes, and he really really didn't like it. Her smile was too unnerving, it somehow reminded him of the Crocodile's.

His fingers tightened around the hilt of the dagger he held in the inside of his jacket, and Vivian tutted.

"Now now, Captain, don't be mistrusting. Can I see?"

She looked like a serpent. Everyone in the room was unmoving, but Killian did not notice, entranced as he was by her serpentine movements and smile. Henry would have no doubt found a resemblance with a character from his 'movies' but Killian was too busy to wonder who it'd be.

"What are you going to do with it?"

"Just look, I promise." The smile was too wide, but somehow, Killian found himself bringing the dagger to light. His grip tightened around it when Vivian's stare became too greedy, though. "It's…beautiful," she said, want dripping from her words.

Killian hissed, willing to tell her she'd never touch it, but the witch was too precise, too quick. He found himself frozen in mid-air, his hook hovering above her wrist as she had reached for the blade, his teeth gritting but no sound making it past his lips.

The nymph gently pried his fingers off the hilt, and the dagger shone in her grasp, as did her eyes. "Finally. Finally I can control what magic I wish. Finally I can become more powerful than that old goat." Her laughter filled the room, crazed, inhuman, and then she looked at him again. "Don't worry, Captain. Your Emma will not suffer."

And she disappeared, just like that.

No puff of smoke, just…her, ceasing the exist.

The room started to life again, and Snow and him exchanged a glance.

They had lost Emma.

Again.

* * *

 _A/N2: I was my intention from the beginning to make Vivian more shady than she appears. People who are too beautiful generally are not as beautiful inside. Anyway, some things might evolve from what I had planned since the official canon for this story has aired, but nothing that will denature the whole thing, I promise. :)_


	12. Dark magic

_A/N: Hello everyone! Following a bug on fanfiction .net, the previous chapter was not announced as updated. Although it was a week ago. So please go back one chapter to get in tune. ;)_

* * *

 ** _Disclaimer: I do not own Once upon a time nor any of its characters. I only own the plot in this story as well as a major OC._**

* * *

 **12\. Dark magic**

* * *

 _ **Killian**_

* * *

"Killian, don't !" came the angered plea of Snow White just as he strolled back the way he had come, hand squeezed on his sword's hilt.

The pirate slowly turned around, slightly but not entirely surprised to see that Snow had actually come after him alone, leaving her leach of a husband behind. His jaw jutted. "I can't let that nymph get to Emma. She'll kill her!"

Snow's green eyes were flaming. "I know you love her, I do, but don't you think I want my daughter safe as much as you do? As much as Henry does? Many of us expect Emma to come back to Storybrooke with us, unscathed! If you go after Vivian alone, you'll get killed, and that is not an option. Now come back in this instant!"

He felt contradictory feelings stir inside of him. One part called for blood, as it had always done. It wanted the sorceress to die, painfully if possible, for what she had done. The other part, slightly less developed, knew that the princess was right and that he had a better chance of catching their new-found villain together rather than separately.

He still growled. "I don't take well to being chastised, Milady…"

Snow had the nerve to smirk. "Well, in a way I'm your mother-in-law, so live with it!" She gestured him back towards the lab – or whatever it had been – and, after a quiet glaring at each other, Hook relented. And hated himself right after.

* * *

 _ **Regina**_

* * *

She should have known. Nymphs were unpredictable bitches. They were too beautiful to be trusted, and more than anything, they craved power, more and more power, until everything around them was consumed. It was a miracle this particular one had lasted more than one hour before showing her true colours.

As soon as the pirate had stormed out, Regina had turned to the Queen of this place, Guinevere. She had her own eyes widened, and shock was written all over her face. She obviously did not expect a betrayal, not from Vivian.

What a naïve fool.

"Where could she have gone?" she asked, voice practical and almost indifferent.

The monarch looked at her without really seeing her, but after a moment, she answered. "I have no idea… She spent a lot of time with Merlin and they often went out into the woods, but I don't know…"

Regina sighed in annoyance, and Robin placed a careful hand on her shoulder. His blue eyes were grave, because everyone in that room understood the implications of the nymph's threat: if she found Emma, there was a good chance she'd stab her with the dagger to steal her Dark One powers…and kill her in the process.

Emma Swan had been a pain in Regina Mills' ass for a long time, but not that much that she'd be willing to live through Henry's never-ending grief if his Mom failed to save his other Mom.

She turned to Charming. "How fast can you ride?"

The prince did not ask for her motivations. "Faster than anyone here."

"Then take a horse and try to reach the shore on time. I'll teleport on the Jolly and try to convince Miss Swan to steer it back here. Or Selene, if she's still alive." Practical as ever. "Robin, Snow and Hook can go into the woods to try and find if that Vivian has a lair. If she does, she'll surely hide the dagger there in case Emma and Merlin both prove too powerful for her. She wouldn't risk it."

Snow and Hook came back that moment, the former sporting the tell-tale 'mother' look while the latter looked like a scorned child. She nodded to Snow and David turned to fill his wife in.

She turned to Robin, gaze grave, and she gripped his arm tight. "If I don't come back…-"

The archer smiled and leaned in, kissing her softly although it didn't feel like a goodbye. "I know."

She smiled once more, then outstretched her arms, and her usual cloud of purple smoke took her away.

* * *

 _ **Emma**_

* * *

The pain caused by Selene's use of her magic had barely receded, and the warlock she had abducted was still looking at her like a worried father, but Emma felt no peace.

Something had happened to her dagger, she could feel it. The affection that had seeped through it when Killian had held it was gone, replaced by greed and something else.

She looked at Merlin, bent on asking a question, when a gush of magic nearby – not hers, though – made her hiss.

She looked up at the ceiling of the Captain's cabin where they had retreated, hearing the wood of the deck creak under someone's steps, then, a voice she unfortunately knew very well echoed through the whole ship. "Are you still alive, Emma?"

Merlin's eyes widened, as if he was surprised to hear such a voice, and Emma raised a hand to ask him to stay there while she painfully puffed herself onto the deck as well.

Regina was standing before the helm, her eyes dark, her face closed, even when she took in Emma's appearance. She had after all known several Dark Ones in her existence, the scales should not have rebuffed her. "What are you doing here, Regina?"

The former Queen raised a brow. "You are not dead yet then."

"Why should I be?" Emma paused, already knowing the answer, and carried on. "Where's my dagger, Regina?"

A smirk, this time, as if her somehow-friend was proud to see her catch up early enough. "A nymph by the name of Vivian stole it. She said she'd use it to get your powers."

" _Vivian?_ "

Merlin erupted from below deck, and Regina acknowledged his presence. There was something in her aura that told that she was not pleased to the see the man who had manipulated her entire life. But she did not say anything, rather scowled. "You trusted her, perhaps?"

The warlock appeared pained by the betrayal, but his eyes fell on Emma, and he said, rather finally, "We have to catch her. Quickly. The power seeping through your dagger will taint her. Nymphs are fragile with their magic. I fear the worst."

Regina clapped in her hands. "Well, first, let's bring this ship back to its master!" She raised her hands to take control over the Jolly, and soon, another magic bound itself to hers, and Emma saw the glare she directed at Merlin, who pointedly ignored it.

* * *

 _ **Selene**_

* * *

She had no idea what had gone through her mind when she decided to go away from Emma. Sure, she had tried to choke her to death – although it seemed that she had not been aware of it at first; but Selene had no other anchor in Avalon.

Proof was that she had landed in the middle of nowhere, in-between rocks and trees and hills.

She was lost.

She tentatively tried her voice, feeling it hoarse and tender. There were no marks on her skin, as her torture had been magic-ensued, but it did not feel less painful.

She assessed her surroundings, and was about to choose a direction when suddenly, someone was there. Just like that.

She was extremely beautiful, but in a snake-like way. She did not feel like a good person, and Selene's suspicion was correct when she saw the dagger in her hand.

"What-?" she started, but the woman ceased to be there.

Until she was behind her.

"You are _not_ the Dark One."

Selene whirled around, and felt something buzz in her veins. Magic. Her mother's magic was warning her. "No, I am not."

"Then why was I brought _here_ when I wished to see _her_?" The woman started circling her at that, and Selene gripped at her tunic, ready for a fight she felt she'd have to win.

She did not answer, and her opponent tilted her head to the side. "You are defying me."

"You will _not_ harm her!" Selene found herself groaning. The other woman smiled, a poisonous smile, one that screamed of murder.

"Of but I will. But before I do, I'm going to end you, little mouse." She raised a perfect dainty hand, and a wave of golden magic flew at Selene, who was ready for it.

Her own hand rose on instinct, and a shield of white magic held the golden attack away, until the other woman snarled. "Won't you die, you worm?"

Selene knew then that she'd have to attack, harm, and maybe kill this woman. For if she didn't, she was the one who was going to be killed. For a second, the prospect didn't seem too bad. She had nothing to do in this life, she was not meant to be created, and she wished for oblivion.

But Emma…Killian…Henry…she had come to know them, love them, and she would not lose them to this woman.

So she let her magic rise in her blood like a flame, lick at her very soul until she had no other choice than to release the power she had bottled up.

The shield flickered, white getting stained by grey, and a snarl appeared on Selene's lips as several bolts of grey magic launched at her attacker, stabbing through her like knives.

The perfect dainty hand fell, and a perfect round mouth opened in surprise, then contorted in pain.

Selene would know the woman's name later on, but right now, she watched as she fell onto the ground, eyes opened but unseeing, the dagger etched with Emma's name still clutched in her hand.


	13. Hope

_A/N: Hello everyone! A brand new chapter for you today and one I had quite fun writing, for whatever reason! Anyway, hope you are enjoying this story's return so far! :D_

* * *

 ** _Disclaimer: I do not own Once upon a time nor any of its characters. I only own the plot in this story as well as a major OC._**

* * *

 **13\. Hope**

* * *

 _ **Selene**_

* * *

Guilt overpowered her as she stared on at the woman she had just killed. Assassinated. Murdered. The eyes open and glassy, unseeing. Chest tense under the attack, the stabs of magic that killed her.

Selene stared on, until the guilt was too much and she doubled over, rendering whatever had been in her stomach onto the damp forest ground.

She had killed someone.

She was tainted.

She was a murderer.

 _A monster._

She did not deserve to live.

Selene looked at the woman again, tears welling in her blue eyes. Emma's dagger was still clutched in her hand, vulnerable to anyone who'd pick it up. But could she take it? Could she taint it with her murderous soul?

She gritted her teeth: of course she had to take it. She had to take it and bring it back to Killian for safekeeping. Until Emma was tough enough to not attack anyone else who tried to help her.

Selene steeped and pried the weapon out of the woman's dead grip. She tried not to look, angry breaths coming out of her nose as she squeezed her eyes closed, but soon, the dagger was in her hand, safely, and she could feel the magic seep from it and into her own veins.

She opened her eyes and looked at it. Really looked at it.

When it had been Rumpelstiltskin's, the dagger's engraved patterns had been less present, less defined, because his name was much longer than the one currently carved in the blade. _Emma Swan._ Just seeing it there felt so wrong that Selene glared at the blade. For a second she thought the name flickered to her own, but knew it to be a trick of the mind.

Then…

" _Selene!_ "

* * *

 _ **Killian**_

* * *

They had been looking for the nymph for more than one hour. Snow's tracking skills were nothing against the magic that had poofed the girl into the woods, but she still could follow the tracks of animals that had run away from something. Or someone.

He could feel something in the air, too. He had no magic, but his hook had, and on some occurrences, it would buzz, tingled almost, reacting to the magic in the atmosphere. And as they approached an upturned rock in these accursed woods, the hook was uncomfortable to say the least.

It was almost as bad as his phantom pains…

Robin had his bow ready and saw him wince before the Princess did. "Are you alright mate?" he asked, and Snow turned around, looking at Killian with something too close to worry for him to care.

He shook his head lightly. "There is a lot of magic in here. Something must have happened."

Snow's green eyes widened, and the worry turned to hope. " _Emma!_ "

She hurried onwards and the two men following her exchanged a glance before following. Snow White's hope was making her, once again, blind to the evidence: Emma was not the only person wielding magic on Avalon…

As it appeared, the rock was hiding a most disturbing sight: the lass, Selene, who had been safe on the Jolly Roger, was standing there, Emma's dagger in hand, staring down at the body of the bitch who had had the nerve to take it from him. Vivian.

She was staring down at the body with guilt painted all over her face, and he understood.

Her first kill.

His first instinct was to call out her name, and she flinched before whirling around.

"Killian! Snow! Robin!" she answered in a hoarse voice. Was it caused by the recent events or something else, though, he wouldn't know.

The lass made to come to them but stopped, her blue eyes – so alike his own – going to the blade in her hand. "I…I took it from her."

Snow smiled at her, but it had a sad taste to it. "Thank you, Selene, so much. She wanted to kill Emma."

"She wanted to kill me too…maybe I should have let her." He heard the sobs before he saw her double over in pain, scratching at her chest in a feeble attempt to take away the pain.

He moved again, as if to comfort her, but Snow beat him to it, encompassing the young girl in her arms in a very motherly way. Her hand went to Selene's dark hair and brought her head to her shoulder. And Selene's arms went around Snow's waist, hugging her as tight as she could.

The dagger slid from the girl's grasp, and fell onto the moss.

Killian stared at the scene, unsure as to what he could do.

This girl was his daughter. Or so Henry had said. By all means he should be the one comforting her right now. And yet part of him kept him grounded, aware that his embrace would not, perhaps, be received as a fatherly one.

He was mildly aware of Robin picking up the dagger and handing it out to him. He merely nodded his thanks, eyes still trained on the sobbing girl.

* * *

 _ **Regina**_

* * *

This blasted ship was far more complicated to steer than it looked. It was heavy too. She was loath to admit it but Merlin's magic was welcome, otherwise she'd have been exhausted after the first twenty minutes.

Every now and again her dark eyes would go to Emma who sat on one of the barrels, hunched as if she was still in pain, her golden skin shining in the sunlight. Regina would wince at that sight.

She had not always been keen on Miss Swan, but seeing her like this, a prisoner in her own flesh, suffering a pain she did not deserve – and had taken upon herself to save Regina – was too distressful.

The promise she had made Henry to bring his Mom back home was more urgent than ever.

They had been approaching land for a good thirty minutes, Regina trying to reach shore as safely as she could, when Emma sucked in a sharp breath and swung her head back up.

"My dagger. It's back. She doesn't have it anymore."

Merlin moved his focus from the sails, to Regina's pain, and looked at her. "What do you mean? Where is Vivian?"

Regina snarled. "I hope she rots in Hell!"

The warlock winced in pain but did not comment, and Emma tried a small smile. "Killian. It's Killian who has it now."

The former Evil Queen sighed in relief. "Well, that's something I'd never thought I feel regarding our dashing pirate: relief." Her eyes went to the shoreline when movement caught her eyes, and she saw a white horse haltered there, a small figure standing next to it as if inviting the ship to join him. Regina's eyes turned mocking. "And _this_ is a sight I had hoped I'd never see again. Blasted Prince Charming and his steed."

Emma sent her a harsh glance and she could not help but chuckle.

* * *

 _ **Snow White**_

* * *

Selene had been crying for the best of ten minutes by then, shaking under the force of her despair. Green eyes locked onto the lifeless form of the nymph on the ground, and she could understand the girl's distress. Although she also felt jealous she had not been the one to end her.

But as much as she wanted to comfort the girl who was almost her daughter, she also knew that time was running out for Emma. So after a while, she gently pried Selene's arms off of her, and smiled down at her.

"Thank you for bringing the dagger back to us. Now we can save Emma." She turned to Killian. "Can you summon her?"

The pirate shook his head. "No. I did that once and it didn't end well. But if the-" he pointed to the traitor's body, "was right, she is with Merlin now. She'll find us."

"You are right."

All four turned to see Emma, Regina, David and an old greying man approach them. Snow let out a relieved sob and launched herself at her daughter, ignoring the change in her appearance to bring her into a hug Emma returned, albeit with less force than she would usually do.

When she untangled herself from her daughter, she saw Regina clasp Robin's hands in hers; and David gently pat Killian on the shoulder. Only Selene remained apart from the group, and her heart went to the girl and her strange existence. She went to her and took her hand before turning back to the others.

"Selene got the dagger back."

"Using _my_ magic," Emma seethed, and Snow's eyes widened, both in surprise and in a poor attempt to call her daughter back to the road of politeness.

Selene's fingers squeezed Snow's as she answered "You tried to choke me to death. Using your magic was retribution."

Emma seemed on the verge of attacking the girl – again apparently – and if it hadn't been for Killian's hold on the dagger Snow was sure that a fight would have already broken.

"Hold on a second, what are you all talking about?" Regina asked-ordered.

Merlin, who had been silent ever since his eyes had fallen on Vivian's dead body, turned to them, face set in stone. "The Saviour's creation can wield her magic, and every time she does, the Darkness eats away more of Miss Swan's heart." Another glare directed at Selene.

Snow's eyes fell on Killian at that moment, she didn't really know why. His blue eyes were locked onto Selene, and they conveyed a lot of emotions. She could see surprise, guilt, and most of all pity, before they took on a more resolute tint of blue. "We need to end this now," he said as all heads turned to him, "take the Darkness away from Emma and free Selene from her curse."

Another squeeze of fingers told Snow that Selene was touched by his consideration of her.

She was proud to call him son-in-law.

Well, one day anyway.

And soon, if she had any say in the matter.

"Unfortunately," Merlin said then, "I needed another's magic to take the Darkness out of Miss Swan's body. With Vivian dead, none among us now have the required power to help me."

" _That's not true!_ "

Snow felt Selene's hand leave hers as the raven-haired girl advanced towards the warlock. "I defeated the nymph, even when she was wielding the dagger. Emma's magic must be more powerful than hers. If I join forces with you, we can do it. And it can return her powers to her. I don't care for them." There was the harshness of the loss of her innocence laced in those last words, and Snow's heart clenched again.

This little thing had already suffered far too much…

The warlock looked at her with renewed interest, though, and he smirked, but the gesture was not kind, more cruel. "If we do this, it can kill you, young one."

"We both know I should never have existed anyway," Selene answered with her chin high, "so why bother?" She turned to look at Snow almost apologetically before turning to Emma. "I want to do this."


	14. Sacrifice

_A/N: Aaaaand hello there! Following a distress call from dancingmylifeaway, here comes the last chapter of this story, where everything happens. :) There'll be an epilogue soon, I promise. :D_

* * *

 ** _Disclaimer: I do not own Once upon a time nor any of its characters. I only own the plot in this story as well as a major OC._**

* * *

 **14\. Sacrifice**

* * *

 _ **Regina**_

* * *

She had to admit it : the girl had courage. She also was an inconvenience and something that should not have existed, but mostly, she had courage.

Regina wore a frown on her face during the whole speech that that idiotic sorcerer gave about what was going to happen. All the while, her dark eyes followed the trail of thoughts visible on Selene's face. She was like an open book. Something that was entirely hers, since both Hook and Miss Swan mastered the art of the poker face.

Currently, the young one was scared. But Regina could see that her worry was not for her own fate but rather for Emma's. The procedure could very well kill the Saviour instead of…saving her, and it appeared that the little leech did care a bit for her creator.

Merlin explained everything in detail: he and Selene were to place their hands over the dagger's blade, and he'd guide Selene to pour her magic inside the artefact to draw the Darkness out. It would no doubt struggle and fight, launching angry wisps of magic in around them, but Selene could not relent, for if they faltered for even a second, the Darkness would win.

He also said that all would be fine and none would be harmed, but Regina knew better.

She had felt the tendrils of Darkness wrap around her, knew what they felt like, knew their fire and their ice, and also guessed that if It wouldn't go down without a fight, It'd certainly lash out at every person in attendance.

"Snow, David, Hook, Robin, behind me," she hissed once the Sorcerer Supreme – she internally snarled – prepared himself and the girl for the procedure. All four moved without a question, Robin's presence just behind her shoulder giving her the strength to conjure a shield powerful enough to hide them from view.

"Do you think it'll work?" Snow asked in a small and infuriating voice.

Regina turned to stare at her pointedly. "I don't think. It's Emma's only chance of being rid of It."

Snow's worry did not falter, but her husband nodded at Regina in a silent agreement.

She was mildly annoyed when the pirate close far too close to her invisible barrier for comfort, his blue eyes going back and forth between the two women now standing in front of a dagger.

"Hook, back," she barked.

His gaze met hers and she could swear that he'd have growled if she had been listening. He looked back at the scene, one hand on the hilt of his sabre, his hook before him like a knife ready for attack.

He was expecting the worst, she realised. Either for Emma or for the girl he had apparently taken a shine to, she couldn't say, but what she was certain of was that he did not expect to go home safely after whatever stunt would be pulled.

Behind the barrier, Regina could not hear when Merlin said to begin, but she could feel the gush of magic that suddenly buzzed in the air and launched itself at the blade. She gritted her teeth against the onslaught, and stared on, unwavering.

* * *

 _ **Selene**_

* * *

She was terrified. Petrified. Incapable of feeling anything else than a cold dread run down her spine.

Merlin had explained everything in detail, but nothing could have really prepared her for what exactly happened once the warlock launched his magic and hers against the dagger.

She was, at first, rather surprised to see that the magic she had "borrowed" from Emma was still grey instead of white, but as the two beams of colour – Merlin's own power unsurprisingly being pure white – merged into one and entered the curved blade, something else came out.

Tendrils of pure black, something that stirred a painful memory in Selene's mind, though she knew it wasn't her own. They resembled ink, thick ink that shaped into shards of glass and seemed to be as cutting as knives.

It flew around the dagger into the air in an almost sentient way before getting seemingly angrier as more and more white magic was poured into it. Emma had started convulsing, eyes squeezed and hands tightly gripping her beige shirt. The Darkness tried to poke at her but every time it reached her skin, it hit an invisible barrier. But every time it did, Emma let out a groan of pain.

The Dark One's magic was fighting back. Merlin himself looked as though he felt the strain of the magic take its toll, and Selene felt herself waver, but she remembered what he had said: they could not stop, or the Darkness would take their magic for its own, and be made stronger by it.

Her blue eyes remained locked on her creator, as Emma fell to her knees and the tendrils waved around her like snakes trying cornering a prey. Several of those tendrils merged into a thicker one, then again, until there was a huge wave of ink black molten glass trying to get through to the Saviour. But again and again, it hit the barrier.

More Darkness was pouring out of the dagger, and after about three minutes of this strange ink-like liquid, something changed. The blade itself started to change, to tremble, more and more violently, and the letters engraved into the metal slowly started to fade, then to come back, as if the name was fighting the magic too.

Selene let out a pained cry when at last the dagger flew from the ground and into the air, releasing the last bit of Darkness that had been poured in it. Emma echoed her cry and her golden eyes opened suddenly, the molten metal of their colour going back to their natural green colour at the same time as the scales on her skin faded.

It was painfully slow, and Selene could feel herself being drained by whatever was happening. She was barely aware of the dagger shattering into a million pieces before the Darkness apparently tried to get a hold of her and, exhausted, almost powerless, she fell to her knees then fell, period.

And everything faded to black…

* * *

Selene did not know where she was, or if there really was a where. She didn't even know if she still existed, apart from her own consciousness that had those thoughts.

She did not feel, did not see, did not hear. She was not aware of any body of hers, and nothing except her thoughts gave away that she hadn't died.

But maybe she had, and this was the limbo she was to live in for the rest of eternity.

That thought passed her and Selene was suddenly strangely happy. She had died. She would not hurt anyone ever again with her existence. She was free, and had freed others from her.

Then happiness shifted into guilt, and into pain, and into grief.

Selene had died, but she had not had time to say goodbye. To Snow White, who had been so kind to her since the beginning; to Killian, whose eyes would plague her for long eternal moments to come; to Henry, who had given her a name and a purpose.

She had not said goodbye and it hurt.

She missed them, she realised.

She missed the Charmings, she grieved the memories she had of them.

Then she chastised herself, for those memories were not hers but Emma's.

But were they?

Robin's mirth when he found her in the shop: hers. Henry's smile when he said she was his sister: hers. Killian's awed and proud gaze when he saw her steering the Jolly: hers. Snow's hug earlier in the forest: hers.

And suddenly, all made sense: as much as she had been an abomination and a monster in becoming, Selene now existed for herself. She was not Emma, she was not Hook, she was herself. And all these people who had given her those memories…had made her real.

Something akin to _touch_ ignited in her at that moment. She was aware of her head, that felt heavy, and of her fingers, clawing something she did not recognize. She could feel she was clothed and lying on a hard surface. She could feel some parts of her aching with physical pain.

She tried to groan, and the sound was like cannon fire: loud, and painful.

But Selene fought against it, and fought against the nothingness until she also saw. She saw a pinkish red colour before her, and shapes moving on it.

 _My eyes_ , she realised, _my eyes are closed._

And she opened them.

* * *

 _ **Emma**_

* * *

The girl had saved her.

The Darkness was gone, the voice inside her head that wanted to kill was gone.

She didn't even glance down at her hands to check if they were back to normal when she found herself in Killian's arms, embracing the life out of him and somehow managing to weep like a lovestruck schoolgirl.

" _I hurt you, I hurt you…_ " she kept repeating, and he kept soothing her with a gentle hand in her hair and an arm around her waist.

"You did no such thing," he answered, and she could feel his smile when she finally kissed him. It felt like coming home after a long time away, and she did not care about the public in attendance, she just needed this, needed his love, to make sure this was real and she was free.

"Marry me, will you?" she blurted out when they parted. His lovely blue eyes widened in surprised then in glee, and he didn't even answer, preferring to take her breath away again.

Emma was aware that the girl – Selene, she should call her Selene – had fainted when the Darkness had been destroyed. She also knew that her magic had returned, and most probably had left the other's body in the process. But when she looked away from Hook and to where her tiny saviour lay, her brow furrowed.

Her mother, Snow, was kneeling next to the girl, a hand in hers, and was trying to coax her back to the land of the living. Regina, on Selene's other side, had both her hands over the girl's chest and was muttering something.

"Is she dead?" she asked, rather harshly.

Killian squeezed her fingers and she looked at him to find him worried, his eyes on the lifeless form on the forest ground.

Had they all grown to love her? The thing that was not meant to be?

Well shit.

Robin shook his head to finally answer her question. "No, but her pulse is weak. She was badly shaken."

Emma then noticed Merlin's absence, and she cursed, for the old goat had a lot to answer for. But it'd wait. For now, everyone was apparently fussing over someone who looked eerily like a female version of her pirate.

She was not sure she liked it.

"She's a good lass," Killian whispered, obviously noting her discomfort. "And she's ours, in a way." His smirk was tentative, but present, and Emma sighed, nodding.

"I guess she is."

She silently watched as the girl did not stir for a long moment, until her chest moved harshly and she took a deep breath that startled all around her. Another couple of beats and she was opening her eyes, eyelashes fluttering under the light.

"Selene!" fussed Snow immediately, "how are you feeling?"

The girl's blue eyes fell on the princess and she smiled, before turning to Regina, David, Robin, and finally to _her_ , Emma, her creator. The smile faltered a bit but did not disappear, when she asked for help to stand.

Selene was smaller than her, not that she hadn't noticed earlier. She had the looks of someone in their very early twenties, with pretty features highlighted by the darnly good outfit she had picked. Emma felt like she was looking at someone she should have known for a long time, and it felt like déjà-vu.

"Are you alright?" the girl asked, and Emma waited a bit to answer her.

She was puzzled. Was she supposed to love that girl too? To adopt her? It was too weird. But she decided that, after all, she had not asked for what had been thrown at her and she could maybe make an effort.

She nodded. "Thanks to you."

"I'm glad," was the simple response. She smiled again, but it had a tinge of sadness in it. "You can now return to Henry."

Emma was not going to comment on her words, but Killian did, perceptive bastard as he was. "What d'you mean, lass? You're coming with us!"

Selene's eyes were shadowed by dark thoughts. "I don't think it's a good idea."

"It is!" Snow interjected. "You saved Emma, and you are in need of a home! We can provide it in Storybrooke. Besides, Henry wouldn't forgive us if we came back without his new friend."

Selene gave a small smile that did not look that convinced, but at last she said "Alright then…" before the group started moving back towards Camelot to say goodbye to their hosts.

Emma kept Killian's hand safely tucked in hers all the way, with Selene stealing uneasy glances at them once in a while. After something like half-an-hour, she finally turned to them properly. "Thank you, for letting me go back with you."

Killian didn't miss a beat when he clapped the girl's shoulder with his wrist, hook hanging in the air behind her. She did not seem scared. "'Course, lass. You're a Jones, now, after all!"

And the sole affirmation managed to bring a genuine and blinding smile on Selene's face.


	15. Epilogue: Family

_A/N: Hello everyone! We have officially reached the end of this story! Woohoo! Never thought it could be possible, but thanks to a dedicated reader, here we are! I hope you enjoyed this journey and will read even more and more OUAT fanfictions in the future! Enjoy this last take into Selene's fate, and see you next time!_

* * *

 ** _Disclaimer: I do not own Once upon a time nor any of its characters. I only own the plot in this story as well as a major OC._**

* * *

 **Epilogue : Family**

* * *

 _ **Selene**_

* * *

The return back to Storybrooke was one strange journey. After going back to Camelot to thank Queen Guinevere and her Knights for their short hospitality – and one promise from Snow to visit again in the future – they had been escorted back to shore by Galahad and Merlin.

The warlock received a well-deserved punch to the jaw delivered by Emma, and Regina and Selene couldn't help but chuckle at the sight. Both had suffered at his hand, either willing or not, and both would have gladly given him an encore if they hadn't already been on the Jolly's deck.

Killian took the wheel, Selene at his side as he taught her things of the sea that she either knew already thanks to her memories, or had forgotten. They both looked in their element on the water and many an onlooker could see that they got on like a house on fire.

They were set to open a portal via a small vial given by Merlin himself a little before sunset, and Selene moved away from the pirate captain to join the Charmings for the meal they had improvised on deck. It consisted in a loaf of bread and some fruits they had received from Avalon, but the companionship was unsurprisingly the best thing about the gathering.

Selene sat down next to Robin and Snow, the first clasping her shoulder in a welcoming way once she did. She flashed him a radiant smile which he returned, before Snow asked her what she wanted to taste.

Turned out she didn't like the taste of pears. At all. Which amused Regina to no end since that was definitely an original trait. The look on Emma's face told it all. She a-dored pears.

"So, Selene, have you thought about what you'd do once in Storybrooke?" asked Robin once everyone had finished their frugal meal.

She shrugged, her cheeks becoming slightly tinted with pink. "I have…not."

Regina sighed. "Everyone in the city has a role to play. Snow here is Mayor…though we share the burden sometimes. Emma is Sheriff, as you know, and David and Killian are her deputies. Robin and his men handle the refugees' camp."

Selene computed the information, seemingly taking her time to review all functions she had witnessed in Storybrooke, whether it was with her own eyes or Emma's. After some time, she looked up and said quietly, "I think I'd like to teach people how to sail."

There was a heavy silence after that, and she blushed deeper, not knowing if they were criticising her choice or not.

After a moment, David surprised her with a "And you will do that perfectly" that warmed her heart.

* * *

Killian opened the portal as the last light of the day faded over the horizon. With a trained flick of his wrist he led the Jolly into its depths, and after the gush of wind that tried to take over the group, they erupted into Storybrooke's bay, the outline of town being drawn into the fading sunlight.

Some sort of relief washed over Selene as she looked at her new home. She was so glad to be back, she was so looking forward to seeing Henry again. And at the same time, she dreaded the moment she'd be introduced to all the population there. And their judgmental gazes.

"Selene!" She looked up at the call and saw Killian move away from the wheel. "Lead her back to dock, will you?"

She smiled brightly and ran up the stairs, earning herself a chuckle as he patted her shoulder on his way to Emma, who was standing near the railing, eyeing the horizon with a look of nostalgia in her eyes.

Selene touched the wood of the wheel and sighed. This was what she loved. Sailing. Her blue eyes went to both her creators – because there was no more denying that Hook had a part in her character as well – and smile upon seeing them arms around each other, Emma's head tucked on Killian's shoulder.

Reunited. They were finally reunited.

It made her happy.

Somehow, ever since saving Emma, she had come to peace with her conflicting feelings for the handsome pirate. His smile still made her stomach do flips, but she had slowly started to see him more as a brotherly-figure than as a potential lover.

She knew in her deepest heart that she'd long for his touch for a long time since, but she was okay with it. It was the only part of her curse that had remained, and she was willing to live with it.

* * *

"Selene," came the call not long after. She still had her eyes locked onto Emma and Killian, and she had not noticed Snow and David creeping up on her until that moment.

She acknowledged them with a smile both returned. She was surprised to see that the Prince was more at ease with her than before, and it made her happy to think that he had perhaps started to trust her more.

"We were wondering," the Princess continued, "if you'd join us at Granny's tonight. For a nightcap."

Selene's smile widened. "I'd love to. But are you certain?"

"Yes," David answered, "we are. You're part of the family now."

Something washed over her at his words. Family. What a sweet-tasting word.

* * *

Selene docked the Jolly Roger as if she had done that all her life. Killian let her, his critical eyes appraising her work as well as a smile. Even Emma looked pleased to see her doing something she liked.

The dock was empty, save for two lonely figures, one Selene recognized with a pang of happiness in her heart.

Henry.

The name was shouted by none other than Regina, and once the plank was settled and she could disembark, she was the first to launch herself at her son.

Emma followed closely, and she hugged the teenager with more force than Selene thought he could take. But he gave her as much as he received, and she thought his grey eyes were glistening with tears when he turned to hug his grand-parents.

Everyone had their share. Robin and Killian were given more 'manly' hugs that put smiles on all faces, and when he turned to Selene, his smile was as bright as the Moon itself.

"Thanks for bringing them back safe," he said in a very grown-up tone, and Selene was glad for his frail arms around her at that moment, 'cause she felt like fainting.

Henry kept his hand in hers as they were led by Regina and Robin back towards town, and when they got in sight of the figure that had accompanied Henry, Selene's eyes widened.

Robin obviously knew him, as he shook his hand in passing. He was not much older than her, and apparently favoured leather jackets as well. He had unusual features, with short mousy hair and brown eyes, but there was an aura around him, something that intrigued her.

He fell into steps with them and said simply "Nice ou'fit."

Selene met his eyes and smirked, a sight reminiscent of another pirate walking among the group, and the man swallowed visibly. "Thanks. I'm Selene."

"Will. Scarle'".

"Pleasure."

They both missed Henry's knowing smile, but all of a sudden, Selene's future in Storybrooke seemed brighter than ever…


End file.
